Warriors: A Fragmented Hope Turn 2: A Thief's Resolve
by Geasswolf
Summary: With ThunderClan's leader, Bramblestar, now being possessed by an unknown evil, Ren, Futaba, and Makoto are brought into the world of the Clans to prevent the impending threat. However, when Bramblestar gives a command that makes defeating him even more difficult, his evil scheme begins to come to fruition. Foxpaw and the others must save the Clans...but time is slowly running out.
1. Prologue

Warriors: A Fragmented Hope Turn 2: A Thief's Resolve

Prologue

_"Are we there yet _now?" Futaba asked from the passenger seat, annoyed by the long car ride.

"Almost, Futaba, I promise." Makoto responded. "We really need to speak with Ren about this." Futaba Sakura was a young girl with brown eyes adorned by a pair of round glasses, and bright orange hair stylized as straight-cut bangs with two long strands in the front. Her friend driving, Makoto Niijima, was an older girl with red eyes and brown hair in a bob cut with blunt bangs adorned with a French-braid styled headband that matched her hair color. In the morning, Makoto had received a text message from a mysterious sender. Futaba and Ren were also a part of the group message as well. The sender seemed to be asking for help, but the message as a whole was confusing.

"Nothing about a ThunderClan pops up when I search it up. Just links to online MMO guilds and stuff." Futaba said. "The sender was named Spottedleaf, which obviously has to be some code name, so there's no use in me searching that up."

"I see. Still, this all is so strange. They were talking about another world and asking for our help. Mementos seems like another world, but it really is just a collective cognition." Makoto replied. "They even knew that we were the Phantom Thieves."

"It could be Ryuji playing a prank on us…or maybe that Inari…" Futaba suggested.

"But would they really make up an elaborate story just to trick us?" The brown-haired girl asked.

"I guess not." The young girl let out a sigh. "I know this all seems bizarre, but do you think it's true, Makoto?"

"We've been through some strange things before, but going to another world isn't one of them." She replied. "Everything they said seemed genuine, though. Needing help to save their Clans from some darkness? Only asking us three for help instead of the rest of our group to not cause suspicion in their world? The fact that they knew about the rest of the Phantom Thieves shows that they somehow have information on us." Makoto let out a sigh. "When I say it out loud, it all sounds really crazy."

"Tell me about it." Futaba let out a groan. "Why couldn't we just get Ren to meet us at Leblanc? This would've been so much easier!"

"Well, he doesn't exactly have a car. I'm not even sure if he has a license." She replied. "Besides, it's nice getting you out of your room."

"Don't tell me you somehow are this mysterious Spottedleaf and this is all just a ploy to get me out of my room. I wouldn't forgive you!" Makoto let out a giggle.

"I promise that it's not me."

The two continued driving for a few more minutes until they finally arrived in Ren's hometown. Following his directions, they arrived at a nearby café that was close to his home. He was waiting outside for them both. Ren was a young man with wavy, unkempt black hair, dark gray eyes, and a pair of black glasses. As Makoto finished parking, Futaba wasted no time in leaving the car and running towards him.

"My key item!" She gave Ren a quick hug. "Don't tell me you've been betraying Leblanc by coming to this place!" He let out a laugh.

"It's not better than Sojiro's coffee, that's for sure." He replied, looking over her shoulder as Makoto walked over to join them. "It's been a while."

"It has. How have you been doing?"

"Great. Sorry that I haven't taken the time to visit yet. Is everyone else well?"

"Yup! They come to Leblanc every so often."

"We think Boss missed having us around." Makoto joked. "Is Morgana with you?"

"Yeah! Where's that fluffball?" Futaba asked, looking around.

"Sleeping. He's been doing that a lot lately, but I think it's because we're finally back in an actual room instead of an attic." Ren said. "So, this text message?"

"Right. We really need to talk about it." The three found a nearby table outside and took a seat. "Do you think it's real? I was telling Futaba it sounds crazy, but something tells me it's really a cry for help."

"Yeah. A different world contacting us really isn't an experience any of us have had before."

"So…are we going to help them?" Futaba asked, the other two nodding their heads. "Great…but what can we even do? This is another world we're talking about."

"Well, when we became Phantom Thieves, the MetaNav appeared on our smartphones, so maybe something similar will happen?" Makoto suggested.

"It seems that way. If they were able to get information about us, then—."

"Oh my gosh, you were right, Makoto!" The orange-haired girl interrupted. "Look! Look!" Futaba showed Ren and Makoto the new mysterious app on her phone. "PortalNav? They could've at least been a bit more creative with the name."

"I got it, too. How about you, Ren?" Makoto asked, the boy replying with a nod. "Let's see here…" She tapped the app on the screen, the three watching as time suddenly seemed to stop around them. "Okay, I know we've been through crazy apps before, but this is so strange!" The three stood up from the table when they watched it disappear, their surroundings beginning to change as well. The sky began to grow dark, grass sprouting where the concrete of industrialization once was. Buildings began to disappear as a grassy clearing took form, a forest of trees forming in the distance. The shining of stars and moonlight now glowed on them, the once sunny day in Japan they were in leaving no trace behind.

"W-Where are we?" Futaba wondered.

"No idea. I don't know if this is more strange than using the MetaNav or not." Ren commented.

"Aesthetically speaking, it's all beautiful and calming. I think Yusuke would've wanted to capture this in a painting if he was here." Makoto stated.

"I'm glad that you three were able to make it." They turned around and saw a tortoiseshell she-cat sitting on the grass.

"Who said that?" Futaba asked, looking around. "I don't see…wait! There's another talking cat besides Morgana?"

"Are you saying that this cat was the one speaking?" Makoto asked.

"That's right." The three jumped when they heard her speak. "I'm sorry, I thought you were used to cats speaking."

"W-Well we're only used to the one." Ren told her. "Are you…Spottedleaf?" The she-cat nodded.

"You're the one who sent us those messages? How?" The brown-haired girl wondered.

"It's due to a power that I…um…" Spottedleaf stopped when Futaba began to pet her.

"Cute kitty!"

"Thank…you?"

"Futaba, why don't we let Spottedleaf talk a bit more?" Makoto suggested, the girl nodding and taking a seat on the grass next to her. "Oh, we should introduce ourselves! I'm—."

"Makoto. You're Futaba, and you're Ren." Spottedleaf said as she pointed at each of them with her tail, the three looking at her in surprise. "Remember, I'm the one who sent you the request for help."

"Right. So, what's that all about?" Ren asked. Spottedleaf motioned for him and Makoto to come sit down with her and Futaba. Once they did, Spottedleaf began.

"The world I'm about to send you three to was once my home, but I died. Now, I watch over it, but I only speak to those similar to the situation you three are in."

"So…our world isn't the only one you've asked for help from?" Makoto asked, the she-cat nodding.

"I asked for their help before to defeat a past evil and help the Clans, but now a new one has made an appearance. Your experience as Phantom Thieves is one that'll be very helpful in order to save the Clans from the darkness." Spottedleaf meowed. "I know you three are here now, but if you don't wish to help, just say the word and I can send you back home."

"We can't do that you two! We're like the heroes in an RPG and this is a quest!" Futaba stated. "Spottedleaf, we're in!"

"For the record, I don't think Ren and I were going to decline either." Makoto clarified. "We'll gladly help you, Spottedleaf. Although, won't everyone back home worry about us missing?" The she-cat shook her head.

"You may be in this world for a while, so time has stopped in your world for the time being." She informed them.

"Okay then, let's do it. You were obviously hoping for someone to help if you've gone through all this trouble to talk with us. Can't let you go through all that trouble for nothing." Ren told her, the she-cat letting out a purr.

"Ren, Makoto, Futaba, thank you." She meowed. "There are a few things you need to know about this world. For one, you three won't be in your usual Twoleg forms."

"Twoleg?" Futaba tilted her head in confusion.

"Oh, that's what we call what you are in my world. Human is the word you three use."

"We won't…be human?" Spottedleaf noticed a bit of fear in Makoto's voice.

"It's only so that you three blend in. If I sent you in as Twolegs, you'd cause more trouble than fear." She explained. "Before I send you three, there's one more thing, but it's only regarding Ren and Futaba."

"Us two?" The tortoiseshell she-cat nodded. "It's not because of our glasses, right? Because I don't need them." Ren explained, taking them off.

"It has nothing to do with that. It's more about how you won't be Twolegs. Makoto will be herself when I send her, but you both will be under different identities. This is a precautionary measure that I've had to take." She stated. "Do you remember the ThunderClan I told you about?" The two nodded. "Their leader isn't himself, lately. He has been possessed by someone evil, and since Twolegs from other worlds usually come to save the Clans, it's possible that he may not allow you three to stay."

"So…what do I do if he doesn't let me join this ThunderClan?" Makoto asked.

"You'll possibly have to join another Clan. There are four others who I'm sure would take you in. I'm hoping that this doesn't happen. I'd have put you in the same situation as these three, but everything seemed to escalate so suddenly. I hope you understand, Makoto."

"I do. You have nothing to worry about, Spottedleaf. I'll try my best to join ThunderClan and help them."

"Yup! Although, this talk about Ren and I not being ourselves has me a bit freaked out."

"I know this all seems strange, or even scary, but I'll be watching over you three for as long as you're in this world. This will definitely be a whole new experience for you three, but I wouldn't have asked for your help if I didn't think you three were capable." She told them. "Is there any questions you have?" The three shook their heads. "Okay. I wish you the best of luck. I know you'll do your best to save the Clans from this horrid darkness." Ren, Futaba, and Makoto watched as a bright light appeared and slowly intensified, blinding them before they were sent to the mysterious world.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Foxpaw took a bite of the mouse he was sharing with his mentor, Suguha. The weather hadn't gotten any better, so prey was still scarce. As he was eating, he looked over at Bramblestar. _There's no way any of us can expose him. Whoever that cat is that's controlling Bramblestar hasn't done anything yet internally to our Clan, but it's only a matter of time before something bad happens._

"Are you worried about Bramblestar?" Her mentor asked him. It had been days ever since Bramblestar had been miraculously revived from StarClan, and he had kept his mentor updated on everything new he had figured out.

"Why wouldn't I be? He's our leader, and if he's being controlled by someone, especially knowing his power as leader, then the Clans might be in trouble."

"Right. So, you're sure that he's being possessed by someone?"

"He has to be. Whoever's controlling him is doing well acting as him while we're in camp." Foxpaw said. "You haven't told anyone, right?"

"Not even Nightheart." She meowed. "This is even stranger than the last evil we faced. Last time it was actually evil cats, which is easy to see that they're evil, but now you're the only one who can see that."

"I think Shadowpaw might be able to as well, but his works via physical contact." The tom took another bite of the mouse, offering the last pieces to Suguha. Once she finished, the two got to their paws and made their way to the camp exit to go out and train. As they were about to leave, they were stopped by Bramblestar.

"Foxpaw, Suguha, are you going out to train?"

"Y-Yes, Bramblestar." Foxpaw stammered. _C'mon Foxpaw, you can't be scared. Father said not to give anything away._ Even without his Geass activating and showing the darkness within the Clan leader, a sense of panic and dread began to course through him. He cleared his throat. "We're going to hone my hunting and fighting skills. We'll also go hunting when we return if you'd like." The leader shook his head.

"We have enough capable warriors. I'd like for you to complete your apprenticeship as soon as possible so you won't need to worry about training so much."

"I'll try my best to train him quicker, Bramblestar." Suguha told him. "We should get going now." The leader nodded and sent them off. As they were walking through the forest, Suguha tapped her apprentice on the shoulder with her tail. "Are you sure he's being controlled?"

"I'm certain. I know it's so hard to see, but how he acted at the Gathering made it more than obvious when my sister explained it to me." He told her.

"Let's try to forget about this all for now. Bramblestar or not, I agree with him about completing your apprenticeship soon, Foxpaw. I think we'll train for another half-moon before giving you your warrior assessment." The tom let out a smile. He wasn't as enthusiastic as his sister was about becoming a warrior, but it was still something he had always wanted ever since he was a kit. _Suguha's right. Bramblestar hasn't made any sort of malicious moves within ThunderClan yet, so I should focus on getting my warrior name._ "You remember where the clearing is, right?"

"Of course." Foxpaw took the lead and made his way to the clearing that they used for combat training. As they began getting closer to it, a unknown scent touched Foxpaw's nose. _It smells like another cat. I won't make the same mistake like last time._ He placed his tail in front of the she-cat.

"What is it?"

"I think there's a cat at our training spot." He informed her. Suguha tasted the air and noticed the scent as well.

"We should check it out. If they're an intruder, we'll have to tell them to leave." She meowed.

"Right, but what if there's more than one? I can't put you in danger, Suguha." Foxpaw suddenly felt the Geass in his right eye activate.

"Do you see something, Foxpaw?" His mentor asked when she noticed his eye change. He scanned the area until he finally saw it. Through the trees and bushes, he noticed a light aura in the direction of the clearing they were heading towards.

"Suguha, follow me!"


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

_"Hey, are you okay?"_ The cold, plush feeling of snow touched Makoto's face as she slowly began to regain consciousness. Her red eyes slowly opened, revealing to her a snow-coated forest, a silver-and-black tabby in front of her, a black cat behind it. _More talking cats? _She then noticed a brown paw in front of her. _Something tells me I must be one as well. I definitely don't feel like my usual self. _"Hello." The tom greeted her.

"Hi. Um…this might be a weird thing to ask, but am I a cat?" She asked. The tom looked at her in surprise.

"Asuna? You look different." He meowed. "You're still a cat if that's what you're asking."

"Foxpaw, I don't think this is Asuna. She sounds exactly like her, though." The black she-cat told him. "You're not from this world, right?" Makoto nodded.

"That explains the light aura I saw. It was you!" Foxpaw meowed. "What's your name?"

"My name's Makoto." She greeted them, slowly getting up in her new feline form. "Are you both from ThunderClan? I was told I needed to find them." She felt her legs give way and she fell onto the snow below her.

"We are. Here, you should try thinking of getting up as if you were walking on your arms and legs as a human." The black she-cat suggested. Makoto nodded and once she thought about it, standing up felt almost natural. She paced back and forth for a bit, stumbling for a while, the other she-cat helping her walk.

"Thank you…"

"Suguha. I'm not from this world, either. Foxpaw over there is my apprentice." She told her. "If you're here, then Spottedleaf must've talked to you." The brown she-cat nodded.

"She told me that ThunderClan's leader was being possessed and that it might lead to a darkness to your other Clans." Suguha and Foxpaw both looked at each other.

"So it must be true then." Suguha meowed. "Well we have to bring her with us, Foxpaw, but what do we do after that? We can't just tell everyone that Makoto's here because Spottedleaf told her Bramblestar is possessed. No cat would believe it without any proof."

"Isn't she proof enough?" Foxpaw asked.

"No, Suguha's right. I have to hope that your leader lets me stay under the impression that I'm here to help defeat the darkness within the Clans." Makoto stated. "Then again, he might be aware the darkness is talking about himself and will refuse." The three stood in thought, wondering how they could guarantee Makoto's entry into ThunderClan.

"I got it!" Foxpaw meowed. "Bramblestar said that he believes that the darkness is talking about code-breakers within the Clans, so we'll tell him that you're here to help catch the code-breakers."

"I assume this talk of code-breakers must be a false pretense? Yes, I think it should work." Makoto meowed. "Do you mind bringing me to your home?"

"Sure. I'll lead the way." Foxpaw meowed. Before they moved, Makoto realized that she saw no signs of Ren or Futaba.

"Hold on." She meowed. "Ren? Futaba? Where are you?" She called out, but there was no reply. _Maybe we were separated? Or maybe it has to do with the different identities Spottedleaf talked about._

"Are they friends of yours?" The tom asked, Makoto replying with a nod.

"Spottedleaf told me that they wouldn't be themselves, so I'm guessing that they don't look like how they would be as cats." She said. "Oh, I don't mean to get off track…but is there any way I can see what I look like? I'm a bit curious."

"Well, the lake is frozen over…but maybe we can check the abandoned Twoleg den? There might be a mirror or two inside." Suguha suggested.

"No!" Foxpaw declined, the two she-cats looking at him. "Sorry, I just feel uncomfortable going there."

"Really? We've been there plenty of times before." The black she-cat meowed. "We can try to break some of the ice at the lake."

"It's okay. I'm sure I'll see myself as a cat eventually."

"I couldn't wait to see how I looked when I first got here. C'mon, I know inside you can't either, Makoto." Suguha insisted with a smile. "Just follow me! The lake's this way!"

As the three made their way to the lake, Suguha slowed down so that the three were walking alongside each other.

"Are you from Japan by any chance?" Suguha asked.

"I am. You are as well, right?"

"Yup. I'm guessing you come from a different Japan, though. There isn't any VRMMORPGs in your Japan, I bet."

"I…don't think so? I don't even know what that is." Makoto meowed. "Wait…so you're telling me that there's more than one Japan?!"

"Well, kind of? We were surprised when we found that out, too. In terms of the country, the places are the same, it's just that some things are different, such as how advanced technology is, or like how the whole world is at war with each other constantly."

"That doesn't sound pleasant at all."

"Well, that's the Japan our friend Lelouch is from." The black she-cat meowed. "So…how's your Japan like?"

"It's pretty modern. There isn't any war or anything, and I wouldn't say there's anything futuristic like flying cars or stuff like that."

"That sounds pretty much like the Japan I'm from. I guess your Japan is just behind in some aspects, not in a bad way, of course." Makoto gave her a nod of understanding. A cold chill blew through the air, causing the brown she-cat to shiver.

"I w-wish I was brought here with more fur. Are you both not cold?"

"Sometimes, but I think you'll get used to it the longer you're here." Foxpaw told her.

"Here's hoping." As Makoto watched her paws trudge through the snow, she couldn't believe the situation she, Ren, and Futaba were in. _We were actually brought to another world to save cats. Sis would never believe me when I tell her._ "Oh, I was wondering more about the Clans here. Are you telling me that a whole group of cats live together as one unit?"

"Yup. There are four other Clans around here: WindClan, ShadowClan, RiverClan, and SkyClan." Suguha told her. "Each has a leader, and a deputy who helps them. The members of the Clan are called warriors, who hunt and protect the Clan. The younger cats who become warriors are called apprentices, like Foxpaw over here. There's also medicine cats, which are cats who treat wounds and speak to their ancestors, which is StarClan."

"This is actually more structured than I thought, and cats who actually learn to use medicine? I would never believe that cats like the ones I see in Japan were possible of such a thing."

"Right? It's been great being able to live with them. It almost feels like a very realistic video game." Suguha meowed. "We're almost there! Ready for the big reveal, Makoto? Don't worry, if you were a cat, I'd definitely adopt you!" When the three crossed one final row of ferns, they saw the huge, frozen lake now in front of them. Makoto looked at the surrounding area in awe.

"It's breathtaking. I don't think I've ever seen anything like this before." She meowed.

"You'll see something a bit cuter soon." Suguha meowed, walking over to the lake, the other two following her. When she reached the frozen surface, she placed two paws out and pressed down, breaking the ice and quickly drawing her paws back when her paws were briefly submerged. "I-It's s-so c-cold!" She shook the water off of her forepaws. "Okay Makoto, take a look!" She stepped forward and looked down into the hole in the lake. She saw that she was a brown she-cat with red eyes, the fur on her head stylized similar to how her bangs were if she was a human. She also had her brown French braid headband on as well. She looked at her face from different angles, letting out a small smile. "Cute, right?"

"Yes! I know it's me I'm looking at, but I can't help it!" Makoto meowed before letting out an embarrassed cough. "Sorry about that. We should get to ThunderClan now." _Getting to ThunderClan is one thing…but I still need to find Futaba and Ren…wherever they are._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"Are you sure you can take care of the medicine cat's den by yourself?"

"I'll be fine, Jayfeather. You and Alderheart can go collect some alder bark. I can't be the one doing it all the time, especially in this weather, powers or not."

"She's right. We'll be back, Asuna." The sound of voices gradually began to cause Ren to wake up. _What happened?_ He wondered as his vision slowly began to clear up.

"Molewhisker? I'll go get Nightheart!"

"M-Makoto?" When his vision cleared up, he saw that he was in some sort of small stone cave. _I swear I heard her. Where am I?_

"Molewhisker?" Ren jumped a bit when he saw a violet-eyed black she-cat jump through the ferns covering the entrance to the cave. "Molewhisker!" She leaped towards him, causing him to back away from her.

"Y-You can talk? Just like Spottedleaf?" He asked.

"Of course I can! Molewhisker, what are you talking about?" The she-cat meowed. Another cat entered the den a few seconds later. It was a cream she-cat with hazel eyes.

"Is his memory back?" She wondered. Ren stared at her.

"Makoto? You're a cat now?" She tilted her head in confusion.

"Makoto? Is everything okay, Molewhisker?"

"I don't think so. I thought he'd regain his memory of me, but now what's happened to him?" Ren noticed the violet-eyed she-cat become teary-eyed.

"I-I think you two are mistaken. I'm not this Molewhisker you're talking about." Ren told them. "I was brought to this world by Spottedleaf. I didn't think it meant I'd meet more cats that would talk."

"Wait…did you say you were brought to this world by Spottedleaf?" The cream she-cat asked, Ren replying with a simple nod. "So you were brought here to help the Clans! But…why are you in Molewhisker's body? Oh, I should introduce myself. I'm Asuna, and this is Nightheart. The reason she was so attached to you is because Molewhisker and her are mates." A slight blush formed on Ren's face.

"O-Oh. Sorry if you were expecting him instead." He apologized. "Wait…so I'm a cat?!" He looked down and saw a pair of brown-furred paws and then looked behind him to see a tail. "This is…weird."

"How do you think we feel? Usually cats from other worlds are brought here as themselves, not in the bodies of cats in this world." Nightheart told him. "So, if you're not Molewhisker, then what's your name?"

"Ren."

"Oh, are you from Japan?" Asuna asked, the brown-and-cream tom nodding. "Me too! I was brought here with my boyfriend and his cousin. We helped the Clans before, but now we're just spending time here and helping if we're needed. I'm guessing this Makoto you thought I was also is somewhere here as well?"

"Probably…but not as a cat you'd know. You both sound alike, so that's why I thought you were her." Ren explained. "My other friend, Futaba, is in the same situation I'm in. Spottedleaf said that this was a way to disguise us from ThunderClan's leader."

"She said that about Bramblestar? Why?" Asuna wondered.

"She told us that he was being possessed by someone evil." The tom replied. "Do you both not know anything about that?"

"My younger brother said that he's seen a darkness around Bramblestar. There's also an evil shadow over him when he uses his Geass." Nightheart explained. "I didn't think it meant that he was being controlled by some other cat."

"Wait…what's going on now? What can Foxpaw do?" Asuna asked. This was the first time she was hearing anything about the situation with Bramblestar.

"Foxpaw's Geass has another effect to it. He said that he could see the darkness inside of cats that would appear if they were evil or facing an internal struggle." The violet-eyed she-cat explained.

"It sounds similar to an ability I have. I don't know if being in a body that isn't mine matters when it comes to being able to use it." The two she-cat's noticed a glow surround Ren's amber eyes and he looked around the den. He noticed a light shadow around Nightheart, but nothing was around Asuna. "Did your brother see anything around you?" He asked when the glow in his eyes faded. Nightheart nodded.

"Around Nightheart? She's one of the sweetest cats in ThunderClan! What—" Ren let out a gasp of surprise.

"Wait…I'm in ThunderClan right now?" The two nodded. "Great. You both need to pretend that I'm Molewhisker for as long as I'm here. My friends and I will try and help your leader and get rid of the darkness the Clans are facing."

"We'll do our best. Here, you might have a bit of trouble getting up." Nightheart helped the tom get to his paws. "There, now just follow my lead." While still standing close to the tom, the black she-cat began to walk, Ren trying his best to mimic her. "There, you got it." She stepped away and let him walk briefly around the medicine cat's den, Ren quickly picking up on how to walk on four paws.

"I think I got the hang of it. Thank you, Nightheart."

"You're welcome. I'll show you around the Clan, and maybe you can look at Bramblestar with your power." Before the two left, Nightheart approached Asuna. "Asuna, can you please keep anything about Foxpaw's Geass and the shadows a secret? Only father, mother, Swiftfrost, and Suguha know about it." The cream she-cat nodded. "Thank you." She made her way back beside Ren and the two walked out into camp. Ren looked around in surprise. This was the most cats he had ever seen in a single place.

"Is this really ThunderClan? It's…amazing, to say the least."

"We try our best. Sorry about the weather, though. You were brought to help us in one of the worst leaf-bares we've ever experienced." Nightheart told him. "Our leader, Bramblestar, is over there." She pointed her tail towards the dark tabby tom at the top of Highledge. "Will your power work from here?" Ren nodded, and looked towards the leader, his amber eyes glowing. He gasped when he saw the leader. Unlike the shadow around Nightheart, the one around Bramblestar seemed to almost be overflowing. His body radiated the dark aura, the malicious shadow above him grinning malevolently. Once the glow disappeared, Bramblestar looked like a normal cat to him.

"The shadow's there. Usually I'd need to see for myself if someone was evil in a case like this, but I guess since Spottedleaf told me, I'm able to see it this way." _She also told us that our skills as Phantom Thieves would be helpful…so does that mean he has a Palace?_

"Molewhisker!" Ren turned around to see a fluffy, ginger she-cat with amber eyes.

"Oh, Cherryfall! Hello! Your _brother's _feeling much better now." Nightheart told her, glancing at Ren for a second before looking back at her.

"Does that mean he remembers you?" She asked, looking at her brother.

"Yeah. Just hearing that I forgot about Nightheart tore me apart inside. I'm glad my memories of her came back." Ren pressed close to the she-cat, causing her to blush.

"I'm happy for you both." Cherryfall said with a smile. "So…when are the kits coming?"

"C-Cherryfall!"

"What? He doesn't seem embarrassed about it at all!" Nightheart saw that Ren was calm, the she-cat giving him a small shove to get his attention.

"Sorry, what did you say, Cherryfall?"

"I asked if you and Nightheart were planning on having kits soon."

"W-What?! It's still soon to be thinking about that!" He stammered.

"Exactly! Actually, we're going to eat now, so we'll see you later, Cherryfall! Come on, Molewhisker." Nightheart dragged Ren towards the fresh-kill pile with her. "For just being thrown into this world as Molewhisker, you did a great job of acting as him, Ren."

"I've needed to do my share of acting in my world, so I'm a bit of a pro. Sorry if getting close to you was a bit over-the-top. I would've gone for holding hands, but I'm sure cats that are together don't hold paws." Nightheart giggled. "Plus, it feels kind of natural being him. I know I don't look like how I would as a cat, but I still sound the same."

"Maybe it's just in your head? Or maybe you and Molewhisker actually do have similar voices. That would be interesting." She meowed as she looked through the fresh-kill pile. She picked out a small rabbit. "We'll share this. The first step every cat not from this world takes is learning to get used to eating fresh-kill."

"Is there any fish? That would be an easier first step for me."

"That would be RiverClan's choice of prey. Even so, the water's all frozen from the weather, so they're not catching much, anyway." She told him as they found a vacant area around camp to sit in. Once they rested down on the snowy floor, Nightheart pushed the rabbit towards Ren. "You can have the first bite." The tom nodded and bit into the flesh of the rabbit. He immediately spat it onto the snow when the fur interrupted with his chewing.

"Are you supposed to eat this with the fur on?"

"How else would you eat it?"

"Without fur, maybe? I thought I wouldn't notice, but that's a bit hard to do!" Nightheart let out a small laugh.

"Here, try to just eat the meat from the piece you spit out. I'll try to clear some of the fur off for you." Ren flipped the piece of rabbit over so that the fur was now on the snow. He carefully tore the flesh away from the fur and began to chew.

"It's actually pretty good." He meowed before taking another bite.

"So good that you'll be able to eat it with fur on? I was kidding when I said I'd remove some." The she-cat told him.

"I'll try again." After Nightheart took a bite from the rabbit, Ren tore a furry piece and slowly began to chew it, Nightheart watching him intently as he did. Once he swallowed it, the she-cat let out a smile.

"See? It wasn't so bad, right?" The tom nodded, the two continuing to share the rabbit.

"Hey you two." Ren and Nightheart looked up and saw that it was Lelouch. "Molewhisker, it's great to see that you're awake. Did your memory come back?"

"Yeah. It's—." Nightheart placed her tail in front of him.

"We can tell my father about it, Ren." Lelouch tilted his head in confusion.

"Ren? Is this not Molewhisker?"

"It is on the outside, but not on the inside, if that makes sense." The tom's daughter replied. Lelouch sat down across the two. "Father, this is Ren. He said that he was brought to this world to help drive away the darkness that's threatening the Clans. Spottedleaf told him that he wasn't sent here as himself in order to stay hidden from Bramblestar." She meowed. "He says that he's being possessed by someone evil."

"Right. I didn't tell you, but your siblings and I believe that's true. You have to keep it to yourself, though."

"I don't mean to interrupt, but are you not from this world either?" Ren asked, the violet-eyed tom nodding. "The name gave it away."

"I was one of the first cats brought here to help the Clans. I had died in my world, and fate decided to bring me here. After leaving once, the second time I returned, I decided to stay and make this world my home."

"And you've started a family? That's…interesting."

"Trust me, you're not the only one who thinks that." Lelouch meowed. "Is there anything else Spottedleaf told you, Ren?"

"Other than the darkness and Bramblestar being possessed? Nothing. I've seen the darkness around him and I have an idea on how to help him, but I need to find my friends first."

"Right. He says that his friends Makoto and Futaba were brought here, but that Futaba was in the same situation he was in."

"So that means that she must be in another cat's body…but whose?" Lelouch thought for a bit. "So you were brought here to help us…meaning that she's somewhere in ThunderClan…I got it! This has to do with the light aura that Foxpaw saw. Molewhisker had one, and Ren's in his body, which means that…"

"Futaba's in Swiftfrost's body!" Nightheart realized, some of the cats around camp looking at the three.

"A bit quieter about this stuff next time? We're supposed to be undercover." Ren reminded the she-cat.

"I know, sorry!" The she-cat quickly apologized. "Is she still in the warriors' den?" Lelouch nodded.

"She hasn't woken up yet." He meowed. "I'm almost positive that your friend is in my other daughter's body for the time being."

"It has to be. Futaba typically sleeps…a lot." Ren let out a sigh. "Let's wake her up and explain everything." After burying the scraps of their prey, Nightheart, Ren, and Lelouch entered the warriors' den. They walked over to where Swiftfrost was sleeping, the she-cat snoring.

"Oh, you're awake, Molewhisker!" Fernsong realized when he saw the tom. "Is your memory of Nightheart back?" He nodded. "Great! She's been so worried about you, so I'm happy knowing that'll all go away." He noticed the three looming over Swiftfrost. "She's been asleep for almost half of the day. We need as much warriors hunting as possible with this weather. I know she's only been a warrior for a while, but even so, I didn't want to bother her or anything."

"That's kind of you, Fernsong. We'll take it from here. Can you help me carry your sister?" Nightheart nodded and placed part of Swiftfrost's body on her father's back while she supported the other half.

"What are you doing with her?" The yellow tom wondered.

"I'm going to have a bit of a private talk with her." Lelouch responded.

"By carrying her out? Wouldn't it be easier to just wake her up here and walk out with her?" Twigbranch asked.

"I don't think Lelouch wants to cause a scene. I mean, this is probably causing one, but it would be worse if we did it that way." Ren meowed, trying to think of the best excuse possible to answer the she-cat's questions.

"You'll understand when you and Finleap have kits, Twigbranch." The violet-eyed tom meowed, causing her to blush. "Don't worry, she'll still be in one piece when I'm done talking with her." The three cats left the den carrying Swiftfrost, only to run into Ivypool.

"Molewhisker, you're awake. How are you—." Ivypool stopped when she noticed Swiftfrost's body being carried by her mate and daughter. "What's going on here?"

"Follow us. I'll explain when we're out of camp." Lelouch simply meowed as the group continued towards the camp exit. Along the way, they were stopped again, this time, by Squirrelflight.

"Hi you four…" Squirrelflight looked at them in confusion when she saw Swiftfrost. "Five. Is she still asleep?"

"Yeah. Ivypool and I are going to have a talk with her on sleeping so long, right?"

"O-Oh, yes! She may be a young warrior still, but we raised her better. She needs to spend less time sleeping and more time helping around camp." Ivypool added.

"And these two?" She looked over at Ren and Nightheart.

"We're going to see how they scold her to learn when the time comes for us to be parents." Ren answered.

"Y-Yes! Since he's finally regained his memories, we've started talking about our future together!" Nightheart added.

"Really?" Ivypool and Squirrelflight both meowed, Ren and Nightheart replying with a nod. "Well, I can't say I've heard of cats needing to see how a scolding works, but it must be some Twoleg thing that Lelouch has told you about."

"That's exactly what it is! I don't mean to be rude, but Swiftfrost is a bit heavy. We'll be going now, Squirrelflight!" The group quickly left camp, the deputy tilting her head in confusion. _I wonder what the rush was about. I can't remember the last time I heard Lelouch sound so panicked about something._

As they walked into the forest, Ivypool looked over at Ren and Nightheart. "So, are you two really thinking about having kits now?"

"O-Of course not! We were just lying!" Nightheart quickly assured her, the fur on her face hot with embarrassment.

"So, Molewhisker saying that they wanted to learn how to scold was a lie, which means we're not scolding Swiftfrost at all, are we?"

"Right."

"Then what are we doing out here?" Ivypool asked.

"We can put her down here." Lelouch told his daughter, placing Swiftfrost down onto the snow before facing Ivypool.

"Comfy…" Swiftfrost murmured as she snuggled deep into the snow. "…but cold…"

"You remember the light aura that Foxpaw told us about?" The silver-and-white she-cat nodded. "It turns out that it showed Foxpaw cats who would help the Clans by giving cats from other worlds a disguise."

"A disguise?"

"Well, it's more like body control." The violet-eyed tom tried to clarify. "The cat over there is Molewhisker, but right now he's being controlled by Ren. He said that he was brought to this world to stop the darkness from taking over the Clans by helping Bramblestar get rid of the cat that's controlling him."

"Bramblestar's being possessed? What in the name of StarClan is going on? Everything was so simple before when cats from other worlds came to help us. They'd come as themselves and we could tell a cat was evil just by looking at them! Now you're telling me that cats are being possessed by evil beings and good Twolegs?"

"It's the truth." Ren meowed. "It's nice to meet you, Ivypool." He bowed his head to greet the she-cat.

"I can say the same. Try to treat my daughter as well as Molewhisker does for the time being?"

"I'll do my best." He meowed, letting out a small smile.

"Well, I think I like him already." The she-cat joked. "So, does that mean that Swiftfrost is also being possessed right now?"

"Right. Our guess is that my friend, Futaba, is in her body. It would explain the sleeping for this long." Ren walked over to the sleeping she-cat and shook her with a paw. "Futaba? Hey, wake up. We're in the new world now."

"Ugh…just a few more minutes, Ren…" She pushed the tom away. This time, he used two paws and shook her violently, Swiftfrost's blue eyes opening. "Ah! Earthquake! Wha—." She looked over at Ren and let out a smile. "Aw! Cute brown kitty!" As she placed a paw out to pet him, she looked at it in shock. "W-Why do I have a paw? And why am I out in this snowy weather?!" She looked around and saw the other three cats. "Is this all just a dream where I'm being raised by cats? If so, this is actually quite cool."

"Futaba, it's me." Ren meowed.

"Wait…Ren?! Why are you a cat?!"

"You're one as well, Futaba." Nightheart told her.

"She talks! Just like Spottedleaf! Can you both talk as well?!"

"They can. Don't you remember what Spottedleaf told us?" The brown-and-cream tom asked her.

"I did, but I didn't think seeing one talking cat meant that we'd be sent to a world filled with them! I thought she was like one of those special animal NPCs that can talk and give quests!"

"NP…C?" Ivypool tilted her head in confusion.

"Video game talk. From the sound of it, she'd get along with Kirito, Asuna, and Suguha." Lelouch meowed. "Anyway, it's nice to meet you, Futaba. I'm Lelouch. This is Ivypool, and that's my daughter, Nightheart."

"H-Hello. Sorry, I'm just still so confused, and a bit in awe. I mean, I feel like a cat, and I can see clearly without glasses, too! Let's see…" Futaba placed a paw on her head. "Cute pointy ears, check. Cute snout with a small nose?" She wriggled her nose. "Check! And finally, one awesome tail?" She turned around and saw the silver-and-white striped tail behind her. "Checky check! Although, it's a bit weird that I'm not seeing any orange fur."

"We're supposed to be undercover, remember?" Ren reminded the she-cat.

"Oh, right!" She got up on all fours with ease. "So, who are you disguised as?"

"He's in the body of my mate, Molewhisker. You're in the body of my younger sister, Swiftfrost." Nightheart explained.

"Wait…I get to have a sister? I've never had an older sibling before…well, except for Ren, but he's more brother-like than anything. I accept this quest!" She turned to look at Ivypool and Lelouch. "So…you're my parents then?" The two nodded. "R-Really?"

"Her mom died when she was younger. She has a guardian who acts like a great father to her, though." Ren explained.

"That's terrible! Thank StarClan for the Twoleg who took you in." Ivypool meowed. "For the rest of your time here, Futaba, Lelouch and I will be your parents. We'll treat you exactly how we treat Swiftfrost."

"Y'know, we don't really have to. We just need to make it so that no cat knows her real identity." Lelouch meowed.

"Did you not hear what Ren just told us? She even sounded so excited to be able to have Nightheart as a sister and us as parents!" The silver-and-white she-cat retorted.

"Right? I can't believe father would say such a thing!" Nightheart added. "She does remind me of Swiftfrost, too. So full of energy."

"That's true. I apologize for coming off as rude, Futaba." The violet-eyed tom apologized.

"That's okay. Ivypool gets one mom point, Nightheart gets one big sis point, and you get one big frowny face, Lelouch." She said with a scowl, causing Ivypool to giggle.

"She's almost exactly like her." The she-cat then realized something. "Wait…so then what happened to Swiftfrost and Molewhisker themselves?"

"We…don't know the answer to that. Spottedleaf just told us that we wouldn't be ourselves, and well…here we are." Ren answered. "I'm sure they're safe. Spottedleaf didn't seem like the type that would harm them."

"Yup. She was very sweet and cute." Futaba added. "So, if we're undercover already, that means we're in ThunderClan, right?" Ren nodded. "And Makoto? Did we find her yet?" The tom shook his head.

"I didn't wake up that long ago, either. Wherever Makoto is right now, we have to hope she can make it to ThunderClan and hopefully convince Bramblestar to let her stay."

"Who?"

"He's ThunderClan's leader. The one we're here to help?"

"Oh, right! So, we just need to find Makoto, and its hero time!" The cats' ears twitched when they heard movement nearby. Through a nearby fern bush, Alderheart poked his head out.

"I thought I scented other cats nearby." The tom walked over towards the group. "Oh, you're feeling better Molewhisker." Alderheart took a step back when Futaba rushed over to him.

"Aw, he's so cute!" A sudden blush formed on the tom's face as she began to pat his head with a paw.

"T-Thanks, Swiftfrost." The tom stammered. Once Futaba realized she was acting like herself, she quickly stepped away.

"Sorry about that!" She apologized with an embarrassed chuckle.

"Is something going on over here? Why are you all out here?" The medicine cat asked.

"Oh! We're just having some family bonding time." Ivypool lied.

"Without Foxpaw? You better not let him know about this." The tom joked. "Oh, so are you feeling better, Molewhisker?" The tom nodded. "That's a relief. I was just out here looking for alder bark with Jayfeather, but we couldn't find any."

"Alderheart? Where in the name of StarClan are you?" A voice called from the forest. From the same ferns, Jayfeather walked out, his blind gaze pointed towards the tom. "Just because I'm used to being blind doesn't mean you can just leave me like that!" He snapped. Jayfeather's blind gaze looked at the others. "What are you all doing out here? I don't smell any prey, so you're not out hunting."

"They're bonding as a family, apparently." Alderheart told him, the blind medicine cat letting out a scoff.

"You really believe that? Something else is going on here. I know an excuse when I hear one." Jayfeather meowed. "So, what is it?"

"M-Maybe if we stay silent, he won't bug us about it." Futaba suggested with a whisper.

"I heard that!" The tom meowed, causing her to jump.

"H-His hearing's amazing!" The silver-and-white she-cat meowed. As Jayfeather waited for a response, Ivypool's nose twitched. She turned her heard towards a nearby row of bushes.

"Foxpaw?" She called out.

"Mother?" A few seconds later, the silver-and-black tabby crossed through the bushes. "What are you all doing here?"

"Your family's hiding something." Jayfeather told him. "I don't think I'll leave until I figure it out."

"Jayfeather, it might be a private matter." Alderheart stated.

"If it was, they would've already said something." He retorted. Foxpaw looked over at his father and could see the uncertainty in his eyes. _What's going on here?_ He then realized that Suguha and Makoto were on their way over here. _Jayfeather and Alderheart have no idea about my Geass' second ability and Bramblestar. Should I tell them? I have to! They're medicine cats after all. Other than my family, they'd be the next cats I'd tell about this._

"Foxpaw? Are you okay?" Suguha's voice broke the tom away from his thoughts. _I have to do this. Hopefully none of them say anything._

"I'm fine!" He called out. From the same bushes, Suguha and Makoto walked out. Once the two joined the cats, Foxpaw stepped forward. "Everyone, Suguha and I found this cat while we were going out to train. Her name is—."

"Makoto!" Futaba and Ren both ran over to the brown she-cat, who looked at them in surprise.

"R-Ren? Futaba? Is that really you?" She asked.

"Makoto? She sounds exactly like Asuna." Ivypool commented.

"Wait…are these your friends? My sister and Molewhisker?" Foxpaw asked.

"They sound like them, and Futaba's reaction more or less confirmed it." The red-eyed she-cat told him. "Thank goodness I found you both. I thought I'd be looking forever!"

"How do you think we felt? This area is so big you could've been anywhere." The brown-and-cream tom told her.

"Can someone explain what in the name of StarClan is going on?" Jayfeather asked.

"I have to agree with Jayfeather." Alderheart meowed. "I get that this is a new cat from another world, but she just called Molewhisker and Swiftfrost Ren and…Futaba?" Makoto let out a gasp.

"Your identities! We were supposed to keep them a secret!" She realized.

"It's okay. I think I need to let Alderheart and Jayfeather know about everything." The apprentice meowed.

"Foxpaw…are you sure?" Lelouch asked.

"Yes, father. We can use all the help we can get." Foxpaw looked over at the two medicine cats. "My Geass has another ability that I can't seem to control. It allows me to see a darkness within cats if they are evil or are having issues that they keep bottled up. Lately, it's always activated when I've looked at Bramblestar."

"M-My father?" Alderheart looked at the tom in disbelief.

"I was as surprised as you were, Alderheart. I've tried to think about what it meant, but constantly I've been seeing it around him, and it's seemed to grow stronger. It was at its strongest when he was brought back to us from StarClan. My father and Swiftfrost both gave me evidence to suggest that Bramblestar is being possessed by some cat."

"Possessed? I don't mean to say this in front of your parents, but do you have bees in your brain?" Jayfeather stated.

"I know it's hard to believe, but the fact that Makoto is here is more proof." The tom meowed.

"He's right. Ren, Futaba, and I were asked for help by Spottedleaf. She told us that ThunderClan's leader was being controlled by someone evil. She brought us into this world to help free him from that evil." She meowed.

"That would explain Swiftfrost's sudden reaction to seeing me." Alderheart said. "So, Futaba is Swiftfrost, and Ren is Molewhisker for the time being? Why weren't they brought here like Makoto?"

"The light aura!" Foxpaw realized. "Along with the dark aura, I had been seeing light auras around my sister and Molewhisker, and I saw the same one around Makoto. I think it meant that they would help me find out how to save the Clans, which lines up with what Makoto had told me. She said that Ren and Futaba would be disguised as other cats because the possessed Bramblestar might not allow cats from other worlds to stay with us since he knows the darkness within the Clans is himself."

"I know I'm already updated on what's going on, but hearing it again seems so hard to believe." Ivypool said.

"So, let me get this straight: Our leader came back to life, but it wasn't exactly as himself?" Jayfeather stated.

"Correct. Think about it, Jayfeather; he wasn't acting like himself back at the emergency Gathering. You've known him longer than I have, and you know he'd never try to go on a hunt for cats breaking the warrior code." Lelouch stated.

"Lelouch's right." Alderheart meowed. "My father would never act the way he did at the Gathering. It bothered me, but I had no idea what he was acting the way he did. What Foxpaw said about him being controlled by an evil cat is something I never thought could happen, but what else would explain why he acted the way he did?"

"Because he was following the will of StarClan?" Jayfeather answered.

"They wouldn't want to cause a rift between Clans right after we brought all five of them back together. The order about finding code-breakers would destroy the bonds within Clans and between them." Alderheart stated. He looked over at Foxpaw. "Thank you for telling us about this, Foxpaw. I was in a similar position when I was around your age, so I'm sure you had your reasons for keeping this from us." The apprentice nodded.

"This all still seems surreal…but I can't doubt new cats being brought to our world." The blind medicine cat meowed.

"Thank you, Jayfeather. Also, can you and Alderheart keep this to yourselves? The last thing we want is any cat being suspicious of Bramblestar. It might put them in danger if they say anything." The two nodded their heads. "Oh, maybe we should have a better introduction." He looked over at Makoto, who nodded.

"Right. My name's Makoto. It's nice to meet you all. I'm sure you three have already met Ren and Futaba?"

"Yup! That's my parents and my older sister in this world."

"Don't forget about your brother, Foxpaw." Nightheart told her.

"I have a brother too?" She looked over at the violet-eyed tom, who let out a small smile. "He seems friendly enough. What was his name? Foxpaw?" The tom nodded. "Inari…Hopefully you're not a complete weirdo like him."

"I…don't think I am. Oh, Makoto, these are my parents, Ivypool and Lelouch, and my sister, Nightheart."

"It's a pleasure to meet you three." The brown she-cat dipped her head to greet them. "And these two are Alderheart and Jayfeather, right?"

"Yes. Hopefully we can help you three in any way possible." Alderheart meowed.

"This is really strange. Ivypool was right when she said she sounded like Asuna. If they didn't have a different scent, I wouldn't realize which one was talking."

"Everyone's been saying that. Hopefully I'll get to talk to Asuna soon." She said with a small laugh. "Now then, shall we get going to your camp?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The group of cats all crossed through the thorn tunnel one-by-one until they were all standing at the entrance of the camp, the rest of their Clanmates looking at them in surprise.

"Your Clan made this all by themselves?" Makoto asked.

"Well, it's more thanks to luck I'd say. All the dens were already here and we just turned it into our camp." Alderheart meowed.

"T-There's so many cats here!" Futaba exclaimed.

"Try not to pet them like you did with Alderheart. You're a cat now as well, remember that." Lelouch reminded her.

"Yes, _dad_." She responded. "At least I'm not feeling anxious or anything. It has to be because of my key item!"

"What's that?" Nightheart asked.

"That would be me." Ren meowed. "She's been a bit of a shut-in for most of her life, so I helped her become a bit more social."

"Aw, that's sweet of you, Ren." The violet-eyed she-cat meowed.

"I didn't expect you all to come back in one group." Squirrelflight said as she approached them. Her green gaze then focused on Makoto. "Reds eyes on a cat? She's not from this world, is she?"

"Correct. My name is Makoto. I was sent here by Spottedleaf to help your Clan." The brown she-cat meowed.

"You may be just what we need. I'll go get Bramblestar."

"There's no need." The ThunderClan leader meowed before the deputy turned around. "Welcome to ThunderClan, Makoto. I am Bramblestar, the leader of this Clan."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Bramblestar." Makoto dipped her head in greeting. "As I was telling her, I was brought here by Spottedleaf. She told me that you were looking for code-breakers amongst the Clans? I'm not sure what it all means, but when I heard another world needed help, I had to accept."

"Spottedleaf knew about the code-breakers?" The leader asked.

"You sound surprised. She told me she's often kept an eye on the Clans." She responded.

"R-Right. Excuse me for a second. I must speak with Squirrelflight about this. You are free to stay for now while we discuss this." The deputy looked at her mate in confusion.

"Very well. Thank you." Makoto and the others left the two alone so they could speak.

"I don't think our plan is going to work." Suguha meowed.

"Plan?" Alderheart tilted his head in confusion.

"Yes. Remember what Foxpaw said about Ren and Futaba being disguised since whoever's controlling Bramblestar might not trust us? Well, to raise the chances of him allowing me to stay, Foxpaw told me about how he believes the evil is from the code-breakers, which led to me using that as my reason for being brought to this world." She explained.

"I see. This also proves that Bramblestar isn't himself. He never hesitated when it came to allowing cats from other worlds to stay in ThunderClan." Jayfeather meowed. "This is all just so much! First we lose our connection to StarClan and now our leader's not our leader at all?"

"It's definitely unlike anything we've faced before, that's for sure." Alderheart meowed. "You four should come to the medicine cat's den. Asuna would need to know about all of this as well."

"I sort of explained it all to her for the most part, but she might want to meet these two." Ren meowed, using his tail to point at Makoto and Futaba. When the cats entered the medicine cat's den, they saw the she-cat resting down with Kirito beside her.

"There you both are." The cream she-cat meowed as she got up. "Did you both not find any alder bark?" Futaba's eyes widened in shock.

"She sounds exactly like Makoto!" She exclaimed.

"That's what Ren told me, Swiftfrost." Asuna replied. Her hazel eyes looked over at Makoto. "You must be Makoto then, right?"

"Y-Yes. I'm sorry, but this is…" Asuna's eyes widened in shock.

"You _do _sound like me! I thought Ren was just exaggerating! Kirito, do you hear her?!"

"Yeah, I'm as surprised as you are." The tom meowed, standing beside her. "You also said that Molewhisker is someone named Ren now?" She nodded.

"And he said that his friend Futaba was also another cat, too."

"That would be Swiftfrost." Alderheart meowed.

"Oh! I'm sorry for calling you Swiftfrost, Futaba." Asuna apologized. "My name's Asuna, and this is my boyfriend, Kirito."

"Wait…Lelouch, I mean, _my dad_ told me you both like video games. Is that true?"

"Well, this one over here likes them the most. He's a real techie when it comes to computers and stuff."

"C'mon, I wouldn't—." Kirito stopped when Futaba brought her face close to his.

"PC specs, go." Kirito looked at the others in surprise before he let out a breath and began to name the different parts of his computer, Futaba's eyes gleaming as he did.

"I…don't think I missed anything."

"No, that was perfect, actually. I don't think I'm familiar with some things that you said, but it might just be because we're from different worlds." She told him. "I think we'll get along just fine, Kirito."

"That's good. My sister and Kirito are very close. He was her mentor, after all." Foxpaw meowed.

"Foxpaw?" Asuna called the tom's name, his violet eyes looking over at her. "Nightheart told me about your Geass. Is it all true?"

"What about it?" Kirito asked.

"Oh! I should've said it in private!" The she-cat quickly apologized, the apprentice shaking his head.

"It's okay. Everyone here knows about it except for Kirito."

"Do you all really keep these things away from me because you think I'll say something?" The tom asked.

"Jayfeather and I only learned about it today, too." Alderheart told him. "Just try not to sound so surprised when Foxpaw tells you."

"Got it. Bring me up to date, Foxpaw." The silver-and-black tom began to explain everything to Kirito, starting with his ability to see the darkness within cats, followed by Bramblestar being possessed by another cat. As he did, Makoto added any information she could about her, Ren, and Futaba.

"This all sounds way more elaborate than anything we've been through here. It's all starting to sound like some sort of quest."

"That's what I said!" Futaba exclaimed.

"So, when do we start trying to save Bramblestar and the Clans as a whole?" The black tom asked.

"Leave it to us. We're used to fighting the shadows inside of people." Ren assured him.

"Right…but we've always had the MetaNav. How are we supposed to do anything without our smartphones?" Makoto asked. "Plus, even if we did have it, could we access Bramblestar's palace? There's no way cats can think of this place as anything specific like a castle, or a cruise ship."

"So…are we stumped then?" Futaba asked.

"There has to be another way we can do this. Spottedleaf did say our skills as Phantom Thieves would be useful, after all." The brown she-cat stated.

"Try swiping your paws down like this." Kirito suggested, opening up his menu interface in front of him. "I'm not sure if it'll work, but if it uses an app, then it might." Makoto, Futaba, and Ren both swiped their paws down in front of them, revealing the MetaNav screen. They were surprised to actually see it, especially since it had disappeared after they had last used it.

"Good thing we have you here, Kirito." Ren told him. "Let's see…" He stopped when they heard Bramblestar call for a Clan meeting outside. Right when he did, Squirrelflight entered the den.

"Makoto, Bramblestar would like to speak with you…you both as well." She meowed, looking at Kirito and Asuna. They noticed a hint of worry in her voice. Makoto, Asuna, and Kirito followed the deputy, Alderheart, Jayfeather, Foxpaw, Futaba, and Ren leaving afterward. The three saw that Lelouch and Suguha were standing near Bramblestar as well.

"Is something wrong?" Asuna asked. The ThunderClan leader nodded before letting out a sigh.

"I don't want to stall talking about this." The leader said with a sigh. "I have to take measures to protect my Clan, you all understand that, I hope." They nodded. "The talk about code-breakers…I can't have the other Clans thinking that we may use the strength we have to get the truth out of them. Because of this…I'm going to have to ask you five to leave ThunderClan."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_"What?!" Nightheart exclaimed _in shock at the leader's proclamation. "Bramblestar, you have to reconsider! It's leaf-bare! They'll die out there!"

"Lelouch also has family here! Are you really going to separate them like that?" Lionblaze asked.

"I must put the Clan as a whole first." He stated. "There's no arguing about this. Any cat who disagrees can leave along with them." Bramblestar stated. Cats around camp all began to talk amongst each other, unsure of how to feel about their leader banishing cats who were willing to help them.

"Mother? You have to do something!" Nightheart meowed. "We can't let father leave!"

"Right…which is why I'll go with him." The violet-eyed she-cat looked at her mother in surprise. "You'll stay here and take care of your brother." Ivypool could see the uncertainty in her daughter's violet eyes. "We'll be fine, I promise."

"Y-Yes, mother." Ivypool made her way over to where Lelouch and the others were, the silver-and-white she-cat bumping into Ren and Futaba along the way.

"You both are leaving as well? You're supposed to be acting like Molewhisker and Swiftfrost, remember?"

"We can't just leave Makoto alone. We're in this together." Ren meowed.

"Right. Besides, I'll just say I'm following my mom and dad!" Futaba added. The three joined up with the others, Lelouch looking at Ivypool in surprise.

"Ivypool…"

"I'm going wherever my mate goes from now on. You can't change my mind, Lelouch." Ivypool told him.

"I have to. You're not going to suffer on my behalf. Stay here with Nightheart and Foxpaw."

"You both stay, too." Makoto meowed.

"What?" Ren and Futaba stated in shock.

"You heard me. Spottedleaf said that this was a possibility, after all. You both were brought to this world as Molewhisker and Swiftfrost for a reason." The brown she-cat told them.

"But…what are you going to do?" Futaba asked her.

"We'll go and see if any of the others Clans need help after Bramblestar's talk about code-breakers." Lelouch answered. "This works in our favor. You two will work with Foxpaw and try and figure out how to save Bramblestar. We'll check up on the other Clans."

"I could also try and see if any cats may be possessed as well by searching them up in the MetaNav." Makoto added.

"Perfect. We'll be able to see if any other cats are being controlled and help them." Lelouch looked over at Ivypool. "You stay here and help Foxpaw, Ren, and Futaba. I'll be okay, I promise."

"The last time you said that, you were brought back here unconscious." Ivypool meowed, her ears falling flat.

"It's not possible for that to happen again. You're one of the only cats who knows what's going on with Bramblestar. You need to help them." The she-cat let out a sigh, causing her mate to smile. "That was a sigh of understanding, I hope?" She nodded.

"This is the last time I'm letting you leave the Clan without me, though. The next time it happens, I'm following you, whether you like it or not." Ivypool stated.

"Don't worry, we'll take good care of Lelouch." Kirito assured her.

"Are you three going with them?" Bramblestar meowed, causing them to jump.

"They were just saying goodbye." Lelouch meowed. "May I speak with Nightheart and Foxpaw before I leave?"

"Very well, but once you come back, you five will leave immediately." Lelouch nodded and walked back into the middle of camp. He looked over at Foxpaw and motioned him to come over with his tail, the tom doing the same with Nightheart. He could see the worry in their eyes when they stood in front of him.

"I know you both are probably scared right now, but the others and I will be okay. You two need to help Ren and Futaba save Bramblestar from whoever is controlling him. I'm sure your role in this will be bigger than your sister's, Foxpaw. Whatever happens, be brave. You may not have your warrior name yet, but I know that you think like one mentally."

"Thank you, father. I'll do my best." The young tom dipped his head. Lelouch looked over at Nightheart.

"You need to be there to protect your brother, Nightheart. Your Geass is a powerful weapon. Even though your past Geass allowed you to protect those you care about, the power of absolute obedience can be used to the same degree."

"But…the shadow that Foxpaw saw around me…" Lelouch looked over at his son. He didn't know that he had told her.

"What you did using your Geass in the past doesn't mean that you'll use it to that extent this time, Nightheart. I'm sure that Ren, Futaba, and Foxpaw can help you deal with it." He assured her with a lick to the ear. "Just because you have some sort of evil lurking inside of you, doesn't mean I love you any less, Nightheart. You'll break free from it."

"Father…" Nightheart pressed her head into his shoulder. "Be safe, and take care of mother for us."

"She'll be here helping, don't worry." The tom assured her. "I know you'll be able to save Bramblestar from the darkness inside of him. Just make sure to protect each other, and Futaba too. She's in your sister's body, but if it comes to fighting, she has no experience doing so as a cat."

"We'll do our best." Foxpaw meowed.

"I know you both will." As Lelouch walked back to the camp exit, Foxpaw pressed close to his older sister. "Before we figure out how to deal with Bramblestar, we're helping you first, Nightheart." The tom's sister gave him a lick to the ear.

"Thank you, Foxpaw."

Near the thorn tunnel, Lelouch stood with Ivypool, Ren, and Futaba, the others already leaving camp. The tom touched noses with his mate, their tails intertwining.

"You stay safe while I'm gone, okay?"

"I should be telling you that. You're not the most physical cat, after all. Try not to hold the others back." The she-cat meowed. "I'll make sure Nightheart and Foxpaw are safe, Futaba too, technically."

"That's all I could ever ask for." When he stepped away from his mate, his violet gaze looked over at Ren and Futaba. "Can you both help take care of my kits and Ivypool for me? I'd appreciate it."

"Hey! I just said I'll take care of them! Also, I can take care of myself!" Ivypool protested, causing the tom to smile. "Just don't freeze to death, okay?"

"I'll try my best." As Lelouch turned to leave, Ren pushed Futaba forward with his tail.

"Hey, Lelouch! Someone wants to say bye to you."

"What? I'm fine just saying bye normally!"

"You're his daughter, remember? Act the part." The silver-and-white she-cat nodded and walked over towards Lelouch.

"I'll try not to make this too weird for you, Futaba." The tom meowed. Lelouch placed his muzzle lightly on the she-cat's head, Futaba's face growing hot. He then gave her a lick to the ear before stepping away from her. "Take care of Swiftfrost's body for me, okay?"

"Y-Yes, dad—I mean, Lelouch." She corrected herself. As she watched Lelouch leave, she couldn't shake the warm feeling inside of her. _I know that he knows I'm not his daughter, and I know he isn't my actual dad, but…his goodbye felt so genuine…almost as if I was actually Swiftfrost. Maybe it's just a reaction I'm having because Swiftfrost loves him so much._

"Futaba?" The she-cat broke away from her thoughts when Ivypool tapped her on the shoulder with her tail. "Don't tell me you're falling for Lelouch. You're in his daughter's body, after all."

"What?! No, no, that's not it!" She quickly assured her. "It's just…when he said goodbye, I could tell how good of a parent he is. It's kinda like how I feel sometimes with Sojiro."

"The Twoleg who takes care of you now?" Futaba nodded. "I'm glad you feel that way about him. Lelouch really tries his best when it comes to being a father. Maybe you'll see more of it after we help Bramblestar." The silver-and-white she-cat looked up at Ivypool, the she-cat letting out a warm smile. _Ivypool, too. Swiftfrost's parents are so warm and kind. It reminds me of my mother when she was still with me._

"I'd like that. M-Maybe…you could show me how you treat Swiftfrost, too? I-I hope that doesn't sound weird or anything."

"I think it'll come naturally. Like Nightheart said, you act pretty similar to her." Ivypool meowed. She turned around to face Ren. "So, how do we start saving Bramblestar?"

"We normally would search him up on the MetaNav and use keywords to find his palace, but Makoto brought up a good point earlier. We have no idea how the cat controlling Bramblestar sees this place."

"Maybe it doesn't work like it does usually." Futaba suggested. "We didn't really get time to check on it when we figured out how it worked."

"Right. We should go into the medicine cat's den and look into it a bit more. We can't let any cats around camp know that we can use it, except for the ones aware of what's going on with Bramblestar." Ren meowed. The three headed over to the medicine cat's den. Jayfeather and Alderheart both resting down in their nests.

"Did you three need something, or what?" The blind medicine cat asked.

"W-We just wanted to check out the MetaNav in here." Futaba replied.

"It's okay. We're all just worried about the others now. Bramblestar pretty much left them out to die if they can't find any shelter." Alderheart responded. "So…this MetaNav thing? Is it similar to the menus that Suguha, Asuna, and Kirito use? Do they give you any powers?"

"Not exactly. We use them to access the Metaverse and palaces. They're worlds different from this one, but in them, we have powers that allow us to defeat the shadows of people, or cats, in this world." Ren told him. He and Futaba both swiped a paw down in front of them, revealing the MetaNav screen. "This is…"

"Different from the one we're used to." Futaba stated. "There's only one drop-down menu that's called 'Target'. This is much easier than the original MetaNav." She tapped the arrow with a paw, opening the menu. "Bramblestar's name is here, and Nightheart's too?"

"What?" Ivypool looked at her in shock and looked at the screen. "Why would her name be on there?" She asked with worry. "Is she being controlled by another cat as well?"

"I don't think so. I'm able to see if cats have shadows inside of them, and when I noticed hers, I asked her if Foxpaw saw it as well, and she said yes."

"Foxpaw knew? He never told me about it." Ivypool meowed. "They should have! I'm their mother, after all! It's my job to make sure they're always okay."

"She should be fine, though. The shadow around her paled in comparison to the one around Bramblestar." Ren assured her.

"Still, maybe this means she could be possessed. Didn't Foxpaw say that the shadow around Bramblestar only grew greater over time? You two should try and stop it before something bad happens to her." Alderheart suggested.

"It could be our test run!" Futaba stated. "We'll use this opportunity to level up before going to the final boss!"

"What in the name of StarClan is she going on about?" Jayfeather wondered.

"She's saying that we can help Nightheart and gain some combat experience before helping Bramblestar."

"By helping Nightheart? Why do you need to learn how to fight?" Ivypool asked.

"Because her distorted cognition may be dangerous, or her shadow self may put up a fight." The brown-and-cream tom explained. "She won't be in any sort of danger, we promise."

"How about you both?" Alderheart asked.

"We're used to it, well, Ren is, at least. I'm just a support party member, really." Futaba meowed. "Still, I can just let Ren do all the work. We need some more members!"

"We have two more. Ivypool and Foxpaw, and once we save her, Nightheart, too." Ren meowed.

"A-Are you sure we can do that?"

"Why not? They have the resolve, and they're the only other cats who know our real identities." The tom replied. "Maybe we can bring Jayfeather and Alderheart, too."

"I'll pass, but maybe you should take Alderheart with you." Jayfeather told him. "If whatever you're doing is dangerous, you'll need someone proficient in medicine if you get hurt."

"He's got a point. A healer would definitely make things easier." Futaba said. "Welcome to the party, Alderheart."

"I mean…I'm honored, but this is all really sudden! W-won't I get in the way?"

"We'll make sure you're alright. You want to help save your father, right?" Ren asked.

"More than anything."

"Exactly. Your motivation is the greatest out of us all. You might be the strongest one of us when the time comes to save Bramblestar." Ren told him.

"O-Okay. I'll try my best. I'll go get some herbs before we help Nightheart."

"We'll be fine! You'll see." Futaba assured him. "C'mon, let's go get Foxpaw and start!" The four cats left the medicine cat's den and looked around camp for Foxpaw and Nightheart.

"Are you all looking for someone?" Bramblestar asked, causing them to turn around.

"We're looking for Foxpaw."

"I see. That reminds me, since Suguha's no longer with us, he'll need a new mentor. Can you fill that role for him, Molewhisker?"

"Yes, Bramblestar."

"Great." He let out a sigh. "I know you all must be mad at me for the choice I made, but it was necessary. I couldn't have them put everyone else in danger."

"We understand, Bramblestar." Ivypool told him.

"I'm glad. Actually, I'm surprised you didn't follow him, Ivypool. I was sure that you and the rest of your family would. I didn't think you'd put your Clan over your mate, unlike your sister." Ivypool's claws unsheathed and dug into the snow.

"Thank you…Bramblestar." The leader then turned to look at his son.

"What are you doing with them? Shouldn't you be helping Jayfeather?"

"I'm taking a break. I'll be back with him soon." He lied.

"Very well. Go deliver the news to Foxpaw." He meowed before he left. Ivypool let out a sigh and sheathed her claws.

"I was so tempted to attack him. He brought Dovewing into this for no reason!" She stated. "Hold on…how does whoever's controlling Bramblestar know about Dovewing leaving? It happened so long ago."

"Maybe he also has access to his memories?" Futaba suggested.

"If that were the case, wouldn't we have Molewhisker and Swiftfrost's memories?" Ren responded.

"Well…I don't know! Maybe his process of possessing him is different than ours!" She retorted.

"We can think about this all later. Shouldn't we get to helping Nightheart?" Ivypool meowed.

"Right. Where could she and Foxpaw be?"

"This way! I can smell them using my impeccable kitty nose." Futaba stated, leading the others.

"I caught there scent, too. Being a cat really is something." The brown-and-cream tom meowed. They reached the apprentice's den and looked inside to see the two resting. They both brought their heads up when the caught their scent and the sound of pawsteps.

"Oh, hello—." Before Nightheart could speak, Ivypool broke away from the group and stepped forward.

"Why did you both not tell me?" Ivypool asked.

"About what?" Foxpaw wondered.

"About the shadow around your sister!" She responded, the two looking at her in shock. "You told your father, didn't you?" The two didn't respond, but it was enough to confirm the she-cat's thoughts. "I knew it. He didn't tell me, either, even after we promised not to hide any secrets from each other..."

"W-We didn't want to worry you, mother."

"Do you think that's fair? I'm your mother! It's my job to worry about my kits if they're in trouble, regardless of any powers they have!" She retorted, but then let out a sigh. "I love you both, you know that. Being your mother is the greatest task I could have, even greater than being a warrior. So let me worry with you so you're not alone, okay?"

"Y-Yes, mother." Foxpaw meowed. "I'm sorry for keeping this a secret from you."

"We both are. I was even hesitant to tell father. Foxpaw told him the truth, not me." The violet-eyed she-cat told her. "The shadows around me are real. Both Ren and Foxpaw have seen them. I think it's because of the nightmares I've been having. Everything's dark, and I see cats surrounding me with killing intent. I just want it to stop."

"Oh, Nightheart." Ivypool pressed her muzzle on her daughter's head. "You won't have to worry about them, anymore. The five of us are going to help you now."

"Right. Everyone ready?" Ren asked the others. "We might need to get away from here so that no cats get sucked into the Metaverse with us." The tom looked over at Nightheart. "You'll be better soon, Nightheart, promise." The she-cat nodded and let out a small smile.

"Thank you." The five cats left the apprentice's den and made their way out of camp after speaking with Squirrelflight. When they were far enough, Ren swiped a paw down, opening the MetaNav. From the drop-down menu, he selected Nightheart's name.

"This might feel weird, but everything's gonna be alright, you three." He told the ThunderClan cats. He pressed the red 'Go' button on the bottom right corner of the display, but before anything happened, a screen popped up. "What the?"

"What's wrong?" Futaba asked, walking over to the tom's side. "Destination invalid? This is the first time we've seen this before."

"Is that a good thing?" Alderheart asked. "Could it mean that Nightheart's already okay now?"

"I doubt it. I'm sure her name wouldn't be selectable if that was the case." Ren responded. "We don't need any keywords, apparently. As long as I'm able to see the shadows inside of cats, their names are added to the list, I'm guessing…but why isn't it working?" The tom wondered. "Let me try accessing Bramblestar's palace." He tapped on the Clan leader's name, but when he pressed 'Go', the same error pop-up appeared. "What's going on?"

"I dunno, but if we're stuck now, how are we going to be able to save Bramblestar?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"So…we're going to check if any of the Clans are in danger after Bramblestar's announcement at the Gathering?" Kirito asked.

"Right. His message is most likely causing some sort of unrest in the Clans." Lelouch told him. "We might need to find some sort of shelter, first."

"Could we just ask some of the other Clans to let us stay with them?" Asuna asked. "I'm sure they'd be more than happy to take some of us in."

"Even with this weather? It'd mean they have more mouths to feed." Suguha said.

"Suguha's right. We can split up and stay in different Clans. It'd mean we could help more than one Clan as well." Makoto suggested.

"But we can't really do anything without you, Makoto. You're the only one with the MetaNav thing." Kirito told her.

"Right, but our main goal is to help the Clans affected by the talk of code-breakers. If we suspect a cat may need help via use of the MetaNav, we'll meet up." Lelouch stated. "Our best bet is to split up and stay with ShadowClan and SkyClan. Makoto and I will try to stay with SkyClan, and the three of you will stay with ShadowClan. I'm sure Asuna's friendship with Tigerstar will guarantee your stay."

"Okay…but how will we keep in touch with each other?" Asuna wondered.

"Does your MetaNav thing have chatting capabilities like we do?" Kirito asked. "Wait a sec…our chat menus! We can still talk with cats from ThunderClan, too!" Kirito swiped a paw down and with a few presses of his paw on the menu interface, he was at the chat menu. "I have Swiftfrost on here, so I can speak with Futaba."

"I completely forgot about that. I thought we'd only use it when it came to leaving this world and talking with them, but now it'll definitely be useful." Asuna meowed. "Does your MetaNav app have anything like that, Makoto?"

"I should. The screen is based on a smartphone, after all." The brown she-cat swiped a paw down to bring up the MetaNav screen. She pressed the arrow on the bottom left of the screen, bringing up a chat menu. "Thank goodness, I have one. Ren and Futaba are contacts, so I'll be able to speak with them as well if I need to. I think I can just enter your names and register you three." Makoto entered the three cats' names into her messaging app, the three accepting her request when it appeared.

"This just made our lives much easier." Lelouch told them. "We'll tell the truth about why Bramblestar kicked us out of ThunderClan, but that's it. We can't tell any cats about him being possessed still. Who knows what he'll do if a Clan lays down such an accusation."

"Yeah. We've only been in fights with the rogues. I'm not looking forward to fights with other Clans if it ends up happening because of whoever's controlling Bramblestar." Kirito meowed.

"We'll need to rely on the cats in ThunderClan to make sure that doesn't happen." Makoto replied. _I just hope Ren, Futaba, and the others are able to defeat whoever's possessing Bramblestar. The last thing we need is any unnecessary bloodshed._

The five cats arrived near the entrance to SkyClan, Lelouch and Makoto separating from the other three. The cold air blew through their fur as snow slowly fell down from above.

"I guess we'll see you both next time…whenever that's going to be." Kirito meowed. "Make sure to keep in touch."

"You three as well. If anything odd is happening, let me know." Makoto replied before she looked over at Lelouch. "Lead the way."

Lelouch and Makoto entered SkyClan, every cat stopping when they saw them. Leafstar approached them both, Hawkwing behind her.

"Lelouch, has Bramblestar sent you to tell us something?" The leader asked.

"I'm afraid not. Because of the talk of code-breakers, he has exiled any cats not from this world from ThunderClan."

"He did?" Leafstar looked at him in surprise.

"Even though you have family there?" Hawkwing asked. His yellow eyes looked over at Makoto. "A cat with red eyes? Is she not from this world, either?"

"Correct. My name is Makoto. I was sent here to help with the code-breakers, but as Lelouch told you, Bramblestar denied my stay." She stated.

"I see. Is it maybe because he believes that you both are code-breakers?" The SkyClan leader questioned.

"As Makoto said, she was brought here to assist the Clans. His reason was that he didn't want the other Clans to believe that ThunderClan had the ability to triumph over the others with ease."

"I see. Can I assume that you're here to ask if we'd take you in?" The brown and cream tabby she-cat asked.

"Yes. At least until the issue with the shadows and code-breakers dissipates." The violet-eyed tom replied. "We'll understand if you decline." The leader shook her head.

"You've been helping the Clans even before SkyClan has arrived at the lake, Lelouch. I trust that you wouldn't cause any sort of trouble for ThunderClan, which is why I'm a bit confused at Bramblestar's sudden action. As for you, Makoto, I know nothing about you, but if you were brought to this world, then you must be a trustworthy cat. This leaf-bare has been harsh, so in letting you stay, I hope that the least I can ask of you both is to hunt for our Clan."

"Yes, Leafstar. Thank you." Lelouch and Makoto both bowed their heads in thanks.

"Hawkwing, can you bring them to the warriors' den?" The deputy nodded and motioned for the two to follow him with a flick of his tail.

"I'm sorry to hear about what happened to you both. I'd never expect Bramblestar to leave cats out alone in this cold."

"I was as shocked as you were. We're thankful that Leafstar has let us stay here for the time being." Lelouch meowed.

"What about Kirito, Asuna, and Suguha? They were exiled from ThunderClan as well, then, right?"

"We asked them to stay with ShadowClan for the time being. We didn't want to put too much pressure on Leafstar and SkyClan in terms of accommodations."

"Do you think Tigerstar will mind?"

"He and Asuna are great friends. I'm sure he wouldn't mind giving them a place to stay, at least." The three entered the warriors' den, Lelouch and Makoto greeting the others cats in there. They had expected some sort of hostility, especially with the weather, but they seemed to give them a warm welcome.

"I'm sure Violetshine would love to see you, Lelouch." The deputy said with a chuckle. "She's out on a hunting patrol right now."

"Makoto and I will be here if she's going to be looking for us. If you need us to help, don't hesitate to ask, Hawkwing."

"I'll keep that in mind." The dark gray tom meowed before he left the den.

"Makoto, there's a nest for you over here." A dark gray she-cat told her. She walked over to where she was and rested down on it.

"It's comfortable. Thank you…"

"Plumwillow."

"Plumwillow. I'll try my best to remember that." The brown she-cat meowed. "Is there as much cats here as there are in ThunderClan?"

"Yeah. The same goes for the other Clans as well." A light brown tom meowed. "My name is Sandynose. I'm Plumwillow's mate." The tom greeted. "How's Finleap doing in ThunderClan?" He asked.

"We didn't have time to introduce her to any cats there." Lelouch answered, walking over to sit beside Makoto. "He's doing well, though. No sort of trouble or anything."

"That's a relief." Plumwillow meowed.

"Is he related to you both?" Makoto asked.

"He's our son." The light brown tom meowed.

"Oh. Why is he not here in SkyClan then? Did something happen?"

"He decided to follow Twigbranch to ThunderClan. She's one of Hawkwing's daughters. Violetshine is his other daughter." The dark gray she-cat meowed. "I'm sure he's more than fond of her."

"Aw, that's cute." The brown she-cat meowed.

"To you it might be, but leaving your Clan for another isn't something that's normally done here." Sandynose told her. "When you're born to a Clan, that's the one you stay with until you've died."

"So…does that mean Bramblestar's talk about code-breakers is real?" Makoto wondered.

"We think it's a possibility." Plumwillow stated. "Ever since he brought it up, we've been worried about him."

"I've been so used to them being in ThunderClan that it feels like he and Twigbranch have been ThunderClan-born their entire lives. I didn't think that this could mean he and Twigbranch could be in danger." Lelouch meowed. _Hopefully that isn't the case. If Bramblestar's looking for code-breakers, they'd be the first cats he could reach with little to no effort._

"Can we believe that Bramblestar would actually do something to his own Clanmates? He might just be expecting other Clans to follow with what he was saying." Sandynose stated.

"Then why'd he exile cats from other worlds?" A ginger-and-white she-cat asked. "Especially Lelouch, who has a family in ThunderClan."

"Exactly! Thank you, Blossomheart." Plumwillow meowed. "We have to do something to make sure Finleap doesn't get hurt."

"Lelouch and I will try our best to help. Even though he isn't in your Clan anymore, he's still your son. I can't imagine how much you both worry about him." Makoto told them.

"How can you do that? You're not exactly in ThunderClan anymore." A dark brown tabby stated.

"Sparrowpelt's right. If Bramblestar exiled you both, what can you do?" Sandynose asked.

"It's…a bit complicated to explain, but we still have the ability to help, even while we're here in SkyClan." The brown she-cat assured them.

A few seconds later, Violetshine entered the warriors' den, the she-cat returning from her hunting patrol. Lelouch walked over to her and let out a smile.

"It's nice to see you, Violetshine." The tom greeted her.

"I'm glad to see you too, Lelouch. My father told me what happened to you and the others." She stated. Her yellow eyes looked over at Makoto. "She must be the other one he told me about." The brown she-cat got up and walked over so that she was standing beside Lelouch.

"Hello. My name is Makoto. It's nice to meet you, Violetshine."

"Thanks. It's always great meeting more cats from other worlds. Can I assume you've been brought here to deal with the code-breakers?" The red-eyed she-cat nodded. "That's a relief…but it also could mean that we may be in more trouble than we originally thought." She meowed. "Are you both busy? I'd like you to meet my kits." The two followed the black-and-white she-cat towards the apprentice's den. When they peeked inside, they saw them in their nest like the other apprentices.

"Needlepaw and Rootpaw, right?" Lelouch asked. Needlepaw ran up to them, Rootpaw following behind.

"Wow, you know about us?" The black-and-white she-cat asked.

"Yeah. Rootpaw I've seen at Gatherings, but I haven't met you, Needlepaw. Hawkwing told me about you when I stood in for Squirrelflight."

"That's great! Oh, and who is she?" The apprentice asked. "Whoa, her eyes are red! I've never seen that before!"

"I'm Makoto. You and your brother are really cute." She told them, causing Rootpaw to become flustered, while his sister let out a smile.

"So, what are you both doing here?"

"Bramblestar exiled us from camp." Lelouch meowed, the two of them, along with the other apprentices overhearing their conversation looking at them in shock. "We'll be here until the problem with the code-breakers is resolved." Rootpaw brushed his fur against his mother's leg to get her attention.

"Can I go out and talk with them? Please?" He asked.

"What? I want to come, too!" Needlepaw exclaimed.

"Okay, you both—." Rootpaw shook his head.

"I was wondering if I could speak to them alone." The yellow tom clarified.

"Do you mind, Needlepaw?" Violetshine asked her daughter.

"Okay...but don't keep the cats from other worlds to yourself!" Without another word, Rootpaw walked out of the apprentice's den, Violetshine curious as she watched him. _Every time I've seen him he hasn't been this serious before._ Lelouch thought.

"We should get going." Lelouch and Makoto followed behind Rootpaw and saw that he was leading them outside of camp.

"Where are you three going?" Hawkwing caught up to them. "Rootpaw, shouldn't you be with your mentor?"

"He wanted to talk to us about something. We won't be far, and if we get in any trouble, we'll protect him." Lelouch assured the deputy.

"Very well. Be safe out there." The three left camp and walked for a few minutes until Rootpaw stopped. He turned around and faced the two.

"Is something wrong, Rootpaw?" Makoto asked.

"I-It's about Bramblestar." He began. "T-The cat who kicked you out of ThunderClan…I don't think it's Bramblestar." Lelouch and Makoto looked at each other in surprise.

"How do you know about that?" Lelouch quickly asked.

"Y-You both know already?" The apprentice said in shock. "How?"

"Foxpaw has a power that lets him see the darkness inside of cats. We believe that he's being possessed." Makoto answered. "Like Lelouch asked, I'm curious as to how you know about what's going on with Bramblestar. You're not part of ThunderClan."

"R-Right. I know that this is going to sound strange…but one day while I was walking out here, I saw a figure of a dark brown tabby. When it turned around, I noticed that it was Bramblestar. I didn't catch a ThunderClan scent or anything." He explained. "He began to approach me…but I was too scared and ran away…but I do remember hearing him clearly asking for help."

"This is…actually an amazing first step to us helping the Clans and saving Bramblestar." Makoto meowed.

"Yeah." Lelouch's violet gaze focused on the apprentice. "Rootpaw, is this some sort of power you have? Doesn't Tree have the power to see dead cats?"

"Y-yeah, but I didn't think I had something similar!" He exclaimed. "Still…if Bramblestar exiled you both and he's being possessed like you said…then how'd I see him?"

"He's being possessed, so he's spirit isn't inhabiting his body right now." Lelouch replied. "My guess is that what you saw was Bramblestar's spirit, but he failed to return to his body."

"Hold on, now I'm confused as well." Makoto meowed. "You said that his spirit failed to return to his body?"

"Right. Clan leaders in this world are actually granted nine lives. Bramblestar had lost one, but during the process of being brought back by StarClan, his body was most likely possessed."

"This is really something else. Being in a world of talking cats is one thing, but this all seems so supernatural as well...which I don't know how to feel about." The brown she-cat stated. "My apologizes for getting off-topic. Rootpaw, you said that you were able to see Bramblestar's spirit. Can you bring us to where you saw him?"

"That won't be necessary." Makoto jumped when she heard the voice. She and the other two turned around and saw the faded figure of a dark brown tabby tom.

"A ghost!" Makoto hid behind Lelouch and pressed close to him, the tom letting out a small chuckle.

"I didn't take you as the fearful type, Makoto." The violet-eyed tom meowed. "You have nothing to worry about. This is Bramblestar…the real one, I'm sure of it."

"O-Oh." She let out a breath and moved so she was now next to the tom. "He does look like the one I saw in camp…but I can tell he's much kinder than that one."

"That's nice of you to say. I'm sorry that you were brought here to help with all of this." The ThunderClan leader apologized.

"It's okay. My friends and I are glad to be able to help." She replied.

"This is Makoto. She and her friends Ren and Futaba were brought here to help deal with whoever's in control of your body, Bramblestar." Lelouch explained. "Spottedleaf brought them both here in Swiftfrost and Molewhisker's bodies, so they're still in ThunderClan. He had all cats from other worlds exiled."

"And now the whole Clan thinks I ordered such a thing…" The leader's ears fell flat. "However, what she did with Makoto's friends was smart. Whoever's in my body has bad intentions, I'm sure of it." The leader meowed.

"Wait...so even you don't know who's possessing you, Bramblestar?" Makoto asked.

Bramblestar shook his head. "Unfortunately. I can only hope that they're stopped before anything drastic happens."

"S-So…do you know why I'm able to see you?" Rootpaw asked.

"I can only guess that it's due to your father." He meowed. "That's also how these two are able to see me."

"Right. Tree's power also lets those around him converse with dead cats as well." Lelouch remembered. "That means you're using the power right now, Rootpaw."

"I-I am?! I didn't do anything special at all!"

"Well, maybe you just don't know how to activate it. You did just realize you had a power." Makoto told him.

"This is…really something."

"Rootpaw." The tom looked over at Bramblestar. "You must help these two. The cat controlling my body must be stopped. The Clans may be in grave danger because of this." The three watched as Bramblestar's figure began to fade. "You three have the power to save the Clans." The ThunderClan leader's spirit disappeared from their view.

"I…have the power to…save the Clans?"

"Yes. Both you and Foxpaw have been given powers that can save the Clans. Makoto and I are here to support you for as long as we're in SkyClan, Rootpaw." The yellow tom gulped. He had always thought that he was just an ordinary, clumsy apprentice, but now that all seemed to change.

"This must all seem sudden to you, huh?" The brown she-cat said, the apprentice replying with a nod.

"I never asked for any of this to happen…but if the Clans are in danger and I'm able to help…I can't turn away from it. I _have_ to help."

"Right. You're the only one able to allow us to speak with Bramblestar, but I'm sure there's more to you than that, Rootpaw." The black tom meowed. "Don't tell any cat about this, Rootpaw. We can't let this spread around SkyClan or any of the other Clans for that matter. Understand?"

"Y-Yes, Lelouch." _I'm going to help save the Clans? I never expected this to happen to me at all! Still…I have to at least try. If I'm the only one able to let Bramblestar speak to us, then I have to accept this role…even though I might not be ready to do so._


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_Asuna, Kirito, and Suguha_ entered ShadowClan's camp, the cats in the clearing giving them curious looks. Tigerstar had noticed them and immediately approached them.

"Asuna, Suguha, Kirito, what are you three doing here?" The dark brown tabby asked them. "Is something wrong in ThunderClan?" The cream she-cat shook her head.

"Bramblestar made all cats not from this world leave ThunderClan." Asuna explained, the ShadowClan leader's eyes widening in shock.

"Really? Even with this weather? The three nodded.

"I know it might be too much to ask…and I don't want to seem like I'm using our friendship, but I was wondering if the three of us could stay here in ShadowClan for the time being?" The hazel-eyed she-cat requested.

"Of course! I mean, I don't mind doing this as a friend, but you three are heroes to the Clans. I can't just let you freeze to death." He meowed. "Cloverfoot!"

"Yes, Tigerstar?" The deputy walked over to the tom's side.

"Can you help these three get situated in the warriors' den?"

"Oh, I can stay in the medicine cat's den so you don't need to make much space." Asuna offered. Tigerstar nodded, the she-cat now walking over to the den.

"Follow me, you two." The gray tabby she-cat meowed. Kirito and Suguha followed behind her as they walked towards the warriors' den. "Is what Asuna said true? Did Bramblestar really send you three off?"

"Yeah. We didn't see it coming." Kirito replied.

"I can imagine. You've been living in ThunderClan for so long. There has to be a reason why."

"He said it's because the other Clans would think that he'd use us to deal with the code-breakers." Suguha answered.

"So…he let you three leave, and you're now in another Clan? That doesn't seem to make sense to me."

"It's not like we'd do anything. ThunderClan's where we stay, but we'd never try and hurt any of the other Clans." The black tom told her. When they entered the warriors' den, Dovewing got up from her nest and approached them.

"Kirito, Suguha, it's great to see you! How's ThunderClan?"

"Bramblestar made them leave. They'll be staying with us for the time being." Cloverfoot explained, the she-cat looking at them in surprise. "Dovewing, can you get them situated for now?" The gray she-cat nodded. "Thank you." Once the deputy left, Dovewing motioned them to follow her.

"There should be some room over here. Lightleap and Pouncestep sleep around here, but I'm sure they won't mind making some room for you both."

"Especially for someone over here." Suguha teased, giving her cousin a shove.

"Oh, I know. It'll be a dream come true to Lightleap." Dovewing said with a giggle, causing Kirito's face to grow hot.

"I-I swear I won't do anything with her!" He quickly assured the she-cat. "Maybe I should've just stayed in SkyClan with Lelouch and Makoto." The gray she-cat looked at Kirito in shock.

"Wait…Bramblestar made Lelouch leave, too? That's horrible! I hope Ivypool and the kits are okay." She said. "Why didn't he come with you?"

"We didn't want to take up so much space here, especially with the weather." Suguha told her.

"Oh. Is Asuna here, too?" Kirito nodded.

"She's gonna stay in the medicine cat's den."

"That's good. Shadowpaw's missed having her around back when she and Alderheart were here helping cure Puddleshine." She stated. "Kirito, you mentioned someone else was with Lelouch as well?"

"Yeah. Her name's Makoto. She was brought here to help with the code-breakers. She was just brought here today, actually, so it's not like she had time to get situated in ThunderClan or anything."

"Still…this doesn't sound like something Bramblestar would do at all. You three are more than welcome here." She assured them. "Hopefully everyone's welcoming when you meet them. This weather brings out the worse in some cats."

"Right, and it's apparently brought us more mouths to feed." Scorchfur meowed from his nest. "We're already running low on prey as-is. I don't know why Tigerstar let these three stay here."

"What?! They're _heroes_! It's an honor that they're here with us!" Blazefire exclaimed.

"Calm down, Blazefire. I know how enamored you've been about cats from other worlds ever since we first met Tigerstar, but Scorchfur has a point." Cinnamontail replied.

"You don't have to worry about running low on food. I'm a pretty great hunter." Kirito assured them.

"Really? We'll have to see about that." Strikestone challenged. "We're not exactly like ThunderClan. We do most of our hunting at night."

"That's when I hunt best."

"Are you sure about that?" Suguha questioned her cousin. "Last time Fernsong and I caught more than both you and Lionblaze."

"W-Well that was just luck! C'mon, you know I'm a good hunter, Sugu."

"He's not wrong. Kazuto's the type of cat who won't stop hunting unless he catches something." She meowed. "I'll help hunt, too. It's the least we can do."

"We're all grateful." Tawnypelt meowed. "I know that Dovewing already said it, but I can't believe that my brother would exile you out of ThunderClan. I'd never expect him to do something like that."

"He doesn't want to cause any tension between the Clans by making them think he'd use us to force them into finding out about the code-breakers." Kirito explained.

"Maybe StarClan told him something." Snowbird suggested. "Even so…no cat from another world has harmed any Clan cat. Do they think they might this time around?"

"I hope not. We're the same cats we've always been ever since we were brought to this world." Suguha meowed. "We want to help the Clans reconnect with StarClan as much as any other cat. We just don't know where to start."

"I don't think any cat does." Dovewing meowed. "Oh, you might need to get ready, Kirito." The she-cat meowed. Lightleap and Pouncestep entered the warriors' den, the brown tabby she-cat looking at the black tom in joy when she noticed him.

"Kirito! What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Kirito, Suguha, and Asuna are staying in ShadowClan for the time being." Dovewing told her daughter. "He's even found a spot right next to your nest."

"D-Dovewing!" Kirito looked at her in surprise.

"We're not just living in a Lightleap fantasy, are we?" Pouncestep meowed, letting out a sigh.

"You can sleep over here near my nest, Kirito." Blazefire offered.

"Blazefire, no!" Lightleap objected.

"She doesn't hide how much she likes Kirito, does she?" Suguha meowed. "Kinda like Swiftfrost."

"Right, but the way she likes me is totally different." Kirito replied. "I'll take you up on that offer, Blazefire!"

"What?" The dark tabby she-cat pouted.

"Maybe try not to be too clingy. Kirito and Asuna are mates already, after all." Dovewing told her daughter. "Suguha still needs somewhere to sleep, too, by the way."

"I know I'm not Kirito, but I'd appreciate it." The black she-cat meowed.

"No, of course you can, Suguha! Here, you can sleep next to my nest." Suguha followed the she-cat to where she slept in the den. "There's usually enough room when Pouncestep and I sleep, so you should be comfortable."

"Thanks, Lightleap." Suguha said, letting out a gentle smile.

"It's nothing. Sorry that I'm a bit clingy to your cousin as my mom put it. I just remember when I first saw him when I was a kit, and it kinda has stuck with me ever since."

"I know he didn't say it, but he probably thinks it's cute."

"R-Really?" A blush formed on Lightleap's face.

"That's how he was with Swiftfrost, but then it turned out that she had a bit of a crush on him."

"I knew it! She said she didn't the last time I saw her!" The she-cat exclaimed.

"She still probably has a better chance than you ever will, Lightleap." Pouncestep meowed when she joined the two.

"You don't have to be mean about it…" Her sister responded. "Maybe I _was_ too excited to see him and scared him. He's just…really cute."

"Well, if you act like he's just a normal tom, then you might get to know him more." Suguha suggested.

"Sugu, what are you telling her?" Kirito called from the other side of the den.

"N-Nothing, Kazuto!" She responded. _At least this is starting to somewhat feel like ThunderClan. I just hope Alderheart, Nightheart, and the others are okay._

In the medicine cat's den, Asuna took some of the bedding used for the patients to make a small nest for her to rest in.

"I'm sorry that this happened to you and the others, Asuna." Puddleshine meowed.

"It's alright. Bramblestar's just doing it to protect ThunderClan. We understand his concern."

"But does this even seem fair for Lelouch? He has a family and is pretty much a Clan cat. He should at least have let him stay." The tom replied. "Anyway, Shadowpaw and I are happy to see you here again."

"I'm happy to see you both, too. Don't think I'm just staying here for shelter, though. I'm going to be helping whenever you need it."

"I'd like nothing more than having one of my mentors assisting us." The brown tom meowed. In the corner of Asuna's vision, a small red exclamation point appeared in front of an envelope. She swiped a paw down and saw that she had received a message from Makoto.

"Excuse me, you two. I'll be back." Asuna exited the medicine cat's den and made her way over to the exit of camp.

"Asuna, where are you going?" She turned and saw that it was Tigerstar.

"Oh…I'm just going to speak with someone using my chat menu. It's a bit of a private thing."

"Are your powers involved?" She nodded. "I'd probably get too confused if you explained. Just try not to stay out there for too long."

"It'll only take a minute or two. No need to worry." The tom nodded and watched as the cream she-cat left camp. Once Asuna walked for a few more seconds, she looked around and tasted the air to make sure no cat was around her. When she confirmed that she was alone, she swiped her paw down and navigated her way to the chat menu. Near Makoto's name, she pressed on the camera icon. The screen in front of her turned black and she waited a few seconds before she saw Makoto. "Sorry for not answering you earlier, Makoto. I was in the medicine cat's den."

"That's okay. I just wanted to call because Lelouch and I found out something vital."

"Really? What is it?" Makoto moved so that Lelouch and Rootpaw were now visible to her.

"Is that Rootpaw?"

"You both sound alike!" The apprentice meowed in shock.

"Yeah, it's him. No cat is around you, right?" Lelouch asked.

"I made sure of it. If Rootpaw's there with you…does that mean you let him know about what's going on?"

"That's just it; he knew about Bramblestar." Makoto stated.

"Really? How?"

"He has a power similar to Tree's. He's able to see Bramblestar's spirit. We talked to him, which confirms our suspicion that he's being possessed. He doesn't know by who, however."

"I'll make sure to tell Kirito and Suguha. Are you going to tell Ren and Futaba, Makoto?"

"When I get the chance, yes." She assured her.

"Is anything strange going on in ShadowClan, Asuna?"

"No, everything's fine here. How about in SkyClan?"

"We're fine." Lelouch meowed. "If Shadowpaw brings anything up that can help, let us know."

"I will, don't worry. Be safe, you two…oh, and you too, Rootpaw. Welcome to the group." The apprentice let out a small smile, Asuna doing the same before she ended the call. _So Bramblestar actually is being possessed and Rootpaw is able to see his spirit? There has to be more to this. Who could be possessing Bramblestar…and how did they even do it?_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Ren, Foxpaw, and Nightheart trudged through the snow, the frigid air blowing through their fur. After failing to access Nightheart's palace, they returned to ThunderClan, Bramblestar ordering Ren to go out and train with Foxpaw, Nightheart tagging along.

"Thanks for coming with us, Nightheart. I have no idea how to train Foxpaw."

"That's okay. We don't really need to train him, though. I think we'll both help you hone your skills as a cat."

"Right. If you're going to be Molewhisker, you need to learn how to hunt and fight as a cat. I rather lose one training session than have you not know how to be a cat, Ren." Foxpaw meowed. "We'll need to find a way to help Futaba, as well."

"Maybe mother can help her? It wouldn't be suspicious for her and Swiftfrost going out together." Nightheart suggested.

"That'll work. She's not really made for fighting to begin with, so she needs this more than I do." The brown-and-cream tom stated. "I still wish we could figure out how to access your palace, Nightheart. The MetaNav apparently works differently in this world than what I'm used to."

"That's alright. I'm sure you and Futaba will figure something out." She meowed. "Here should be a good spot to practice hunting. I can sense a mouse nearby."

"I can, too. Can you, Ren?" The tom closed his eyes and sniffed the air. An unfamiliar scent touched his nose.

"I think so. It's coming from here." He walked slowly towards the scent. _It's like sensing shadows in palaces, but instead I'm using my sense of smell. Sneaking up on prey shouldn't be any different._ When he caught sight of the mouse, Ren stopped. He got into a hunter's crouch, Foxpaw and Nightheart surprised that he even knew that step in hunting. _This is usually what Morgana does before he jumps, so this should be it._ He cautiously closed the distance between him and the mouse as much as he could. As quickly as he could, Ren leaped towards the mouse, grasping it in between his paws.

"Now what?" He asked, watching as the mouse struggled.

"Kill it!" Nightheart meowed. "Give it a killing bite!" Ren did as she told him and gave the mouse a powerful bite, its body going limp. "Ren, that was amazing! I thought you said you've never hunted before!"

"Yeah, this is my first time." He replied. "When going through palaces in my world, I'd sneak around to get the upper hand by ambushing Shadows."

"You might be as good as Kirito. He's a pro when it comes to hiding and staying hidden." Foxpaw told him. "We didn't even need to teach you at all. Maybe combat will be the same way."

"Why don't we find out now?" Nightheart suggested. "Why don't you both spar for a bit?"

"N-Now?" The violet-eyed tom looked at his sister in surprise.

"Why are you worried, Foxpaw? Ren won't hurt you. Actually, I think he should be careful the most." The she-cat meowed. "Are you okay with practicing now, Ren? I'll instruct you as you both fight." The tom nodded. "Foxpaw can help as well."

"I have to fight Ren _and_ instruct him?"

"It'll be good practice for when you become a warrior." Nightheart meowed. "No complaining now, Foxpaw. You're a hero to the Clans, after all."

"Don't worry, I won't hit you hard or anything. Promise." The brown-and-cream tom meowed.

"I know that. I just didn't expect to do both." Foxpaw meowed as he stood across from the tom.

"Okay you two…start!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Oh my gosh, it's really good!" Futaba meowed, her mouth full of fresh-kill as she continued to devour the mouse in front of her.

"I'm glad you like it…but maybe try not to eat like you haven't had a meal in moons?" Ivypool suggested. "Everyone's looking at you." Futaba shot her head up and looked around the Clan. Eyes all around were glaring at her, causing her stomach to churn.

"C-Can they stop looking at me?" She whispered. Ivypool glared back at the other cats around camp, causing them to avert their gazes and continue what they were doing. "Thanks, Ivypool."

"You're welcome." She replied. Ivypool noticed that the sudden energy Futaba had was gone now. She didn't even bother taking any bites of her mouse. "Are you okay, Futaba? You can still eat, just slowly."

"I know. I just…I lost my appetite." She replied softly. Ivypool's ears fell flat. She knew that Futaba wasn't her daughter, but being in Swiftfrost's body didn't help make her think that way.

"Is it about everyone looking at you?" The silver-and-white she-cat asked, concern in her meow.

"Y-Yeah. I've always been uncomfortable in public spaces. Ren's helped me with it, but he's not here right now." She stated. "I was fine up until I saw everyone staring at me. I thought that it might not happen since they're cats…but it felt the same as it does with people."

"I didn't know that, Futaba. We don't need to eat out here if it makes you uncomfortable. We can eat in the warriors' den."

"N-No, it's okay. You made everything better, Ivypool." Futaba told her. "Maybe you could be my Ren for when he's not with me."

"I don't think I'd be a good mother if I wasn't." The she-cat replied with a small laugh. "I'll make sure you're comfortable here, Futaba, I promise." She gave her a lick on the forehead, causing her to blush.

"I haven't even known you for a full day yet…but you're so kind, Ivypool. It's probably just because I'm in Swiftfrost's body, though. I-I don't mean that in a bad way."

"I'll admit that it does help, but you do remind me of her, Futaba. You both would get along just fine if you get the chance to meet." As they were talking, Stemleaf walked over to the two, greeting Futaba with a small smile. "Hello, Stemleaf."

"Hi Ivypool. I was wondering if I could speak with Swiftfrost for a bit. You both aren't busy, right?" The white-and-orange tom asked. Ivypool looked over at Futaba to see if she was okay being alone with the tom for a bit.

"I-It's okay, mom." She meowed. _I have to practice being Swiftfrost, after all. It's better if I start off small now speaking with him._

"I'll be in the warriors' den." Once Ivypool left, Stemleaf sat down where she was.

"You seemed to be enjoying that mouse a while ago. It must've been really good, huh?"

"Oh, y-yeah." She muttered. Stemleaf let out a sigh.

"Is it too soon to be talking to you again?" He asked. Futaba looked at him in confusion.

"Why's that?"

"Because I told you we couldn't be mates." Futaba felt the fur on her face begin to grow hot. _Swiftfrost likes him?! I have no idea how to act now! I've never been in this situation before in my life!_ She began to panic, looking around camp for some way to escape.

"I-I just remembered that I had to talk to my mom about something! I'll see you later!" Futaba ran towards the warriors' den, resting down next to Ivypool, panting for her breath. "Why didn't you tell me Swiftfrost liked him?! I'm taking mother points away from you now!"

"I'm really sorry about that. I was going to say something, but then you said it was okay!"

"Well you should've still said something! I have no idea how to speak to someone Swiftfrost likes!"

"Is…everything okay over here?" Lionblaze asked the two. "Why's Swiftfrost talking like that?"

"Ah!" Futaba jumped when she realized the golden tom overheard her and Ivypool talking just moments ago.

"S-Shouldn't you be out hunting or something, Lionblaze?" Ivypool stammered, the she-cat as flustered as Futaba was. The tom scoffed.

"I think me staying here compensates for the four Clanmates we lost today." He meowed. "I can't believe Bramblestar just made them leave like that. You both definitely feel that way, losing Lelouch and all." Ivypool nodded. "Why didn't you go with him?"

"He told us to stay here." Ivypool replied. "It's much safer for us to be here than try and survive in this weather."

"That sounds like something Lelouch would do. He's always trying to be the hero." The tom said with a hint of laughter. "Swiftfrost, did I ever tell you that time your father—." Lionblaze stopped when he saw a menu screen appear in front of Futaba. Ivypool looked at it in shock, and so did Futaba herself.

"I-I gotta go!" Futaba quickly ran out of the warriors' den and looked around. _There's no way I can answer this privately! The only exit's over there and everything surrounding me is stone!_ _What do I do? What do I do?_

"The apprentice's den, follow me!" Ivypool meowed when she caught up to her. "Can you make that screen disappear for now? We're just going to attract attention if we run over there." Futaba saw the 'X' at the top right corner and pressed it before she and Ivypool entered the apprentice's den. Once they were inside, Ivypool let out a sigh. "What was that, Futaba?"

"It looked like Makoto was trying to call me. I'll try to call back." Futaba swiped her paw down and with a few presses, she began to call Makoto. In a few seconds, the she-cat answered, her face appearing on the screen.

"Futaba, I wasn't sure if—."

"What's the deal calling me like that?! The screen popped up out of nowhere and everything!" Futaba exclaimed.

"I'm so sorry! I was going to call Ren, b-but you're the first name that appeared!"

"What's going on?" Ivypool wondered, bringing her head into frame so that Makoto could see her. "Are we actually speaking to Makoto as if she was here?" The brown she-cat nodded.

"Someone here wants to say hi to you."

"Don't make it sound like I'm a kid." Makoto moved so that the two could see Lelouch now.

"Lelouch! Are you okay?" Ivypool asked.

"I'm fine. How about you and the kits?"

"We're okay. Foxpaw's out training with Ren and Nightheart." She replied. "Sorry for sounding like I'm worrying about you. You only left a few hours ago."

"Don't be. As long as we're separated, I don't think I'll stop worrying, either." The violet-eyed tom meowed. "Makoto and I needed to tell you both something."

"Right. We're both staying with SkyClan, and the other three are in ShadowClan. While we were here, Lelouch and I found out that Rootpaw is able to speak with Bramblestar's spirit. We actually saw him as well." Makoto stated.

"So he actually is being possessed by some cat." Futaba said. "Did he tell you by who?"

"He wasn't sure. We told Asuna about it before calling you." The red-eyed she-cat meowed. "Futaba, Ivypool, can you make sure to tell Ren and the others? One call that almost gives you away is more than enough." Ivypool nodded.

"This is…interesting, to say the least. Do all Twolegs have this sort of thing in your world?"

"Well, it's not exactly a screen we summon with a swipe of our hands. It's a device that we carry called a cell phone." Futaba explained. "It allows us to keep in touch no matter how far we are." She turned her attention back to Makoto. "Oh, we should hang up now! I think some cats might be suspicious of us. We're in the apprentice's den right now and we don't exactly belong here."

"Okay. Just remember to tell the others about Rootpaw and Bramblestar. I'll also try calling you only when it's absolutely necessary so your MetaNav screen doesn't pop up out of nowhere. Talk to you both again soon, hopefully."

"Bye Makoto, bye Lelouch!" Futaba and Ivypool both waved before their video call ended. "Okay, so we just need to figure out how to access palaces in this world."

"What was that?" The two she-cats jumped when they heard Lionblaze's voice at the entrance to the apprentice's den.

"W-Why did you follow us?" Futaba asked the tom. "Can't you mind your own business?"

"Not if it means I can't be a part of helping the Clans." The golden tom meowed. "I won't tell anyone, I promise." Lionblaze walked over to the two. "So…are you not Swiftfrost?"

"Um…" Ivypool placed her tail on Futaba's shoulder.

"We might as well tell him. We can trust Lionblaze, and we might need an extra paw later on." The silver-and-white she-cat meowed.

"Our party's pretty full as is…but I guess we've been caught." She responded. "Can you tell him, Ivypool?" The older she-cat let out a sigh.

"This is Swiftfrost, but right now, she's being controlled by a Twoleg named Futaba. She was brought here to help the Clans along with Makoto and their friend, Ren. He's in Molewhisker's body."

"Really?" Lionblaze looked at them both in surprise. "This is…odd. Could they not be brought here as themselves?"

"You saw what happened to Lelouch and the others. Unlike Makoto, it's almost impossible to tell that Futaba and Ren are in ThunderClan." Ivypool replied. "You overheard what we said about Bramblestar, right?"

"About him being possessed? Yeah." The golden tom said. "It explains why he made the cats not from this world leave." He glanced outside of the den before looking at the two she-cats. "How do we save Bramblestar?"

"We're still trying to figure that out. Ren and I thought we had it, but apparently we don't." Futaba meowed. "If we need your help, we'll tell you…Lionblaze?" The tom nodded. "Sounds fierce. I like it." Ivypool turned her gaze towards the tom.

"I'm sure you know that we can't let anyone know about Futaba or Ren, and Bramblestar, too. If he hears any of this, we'll all be in trouble." She told him.

"Right. I won't tell anyone." Lionblaze meowed. "Bramblestar being possessed…the last time something like this happened was with Tigerstar back when Sora, Riku, and Kairi were here, but that was by someone from another world. Is he being controlled by someone from your world, Futaba?" The she-cat shook her head.

"I was brought here after he was being controlled. Whoever's in his body is someone native to this world, most likely." The three heard pawsteps beginning to approach from the outside and turned to face the den entrance. They saw that it was Foxpaw, Ren, and Nightheart, the three returning from training.

"L-Lionblaze? What are you doing here with my mother and sister?" The silver-and-black tabby asked.

"You don't have to be scared around him. Makoto called me and he followed us and found out what was going on." Futaba assured the tom.

"Oh…well having a strong warrior like Lionblaze on our side helps." The apprentice meowed. "I guess I should introduce you to Ren. He's over there by Nightheart." Lionblaze looked over at the brown and cream tom, who simply greeted him with a wave of his paw. "Jayfeather and Alderheart also know about everything going on as well, so don't feel worried when talking to them."

"That makes sense. They're medicine cats after all." He meowed. "Futaba, didn't you have something to tell them about?"

"Oh yeah! Foxpaw, Nightheart, Ren, Makoto called me earlier and said that she and Lelouch were staying in SkyClan. She also told me that a cat named Rootpaw was able to actually see Bramblestar's spirit. They were able to speak with him too, but even Bramblestar has no idea who's controlling him."

"Still, at least it confirms our suspicion." Nightheart stated. "Also, it's a relief knowing that the others are staying with other Clans. Now all that's left is for you both to learn how to use the MetaNav in this world."

"Before that, we need Futaba to do something." Ren meowed.

"M-Me? What?"

"You need to learn how to fight and hunt in this world." The brown-and-cream tom told her.

"W-What?! I'm the group's designated navigator! I never fought in the Metaverse at all! Is giving you all buffs in battle not enough?"

"If you want to be Swiftfrost, you have to learn how to live like a Clan cat, Futaba." Foxpaw told her.

"Right, and you know how the Metaverse can be. Better safe than sorry, right?" Ren added. The silver-and-white she-cat let out a sigh.

"Fine…but the second I get tired, I'm coming back to camp!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The chilly night air blew into the apprentice's den, causing Foxpaw to shiver as he curled into his bedding. There were no other apprentices in ThunderClan at the moment, which meant any frigid air flowing into the den touched him alone. _I'm just glad father and the others are okay. I wouldn't be able to sleep if I knew they were out there without any shelter._ He thought, letting out one final yawn before falling asleep.

When Foxpaw's violet eyes opened, he saw that he was in the Forest of Moonlight, the moonlit area where C.C. would speak with him. He got to his paws and tasted the air, trying to catch the Twoleg's scent. He followed it into the nearby forest until he saw the green-haired girl sitting down on a lone tree stump in the center of a small clearing, the usual spot where he would find her.

"Foxpaw, it's good to see you. You've grown a bit since the last time we talked." She lightly groomed the tom, causing him to purr. "You've met the three new heroes Spottedleaf chose, correct?"

"Ren, Futaba, and Makoto. I'm sure you know what happened to my father, Makoto, and the others, right?"

"Yes, but luckily Spottedleaf anticipated it. We both chose Molewhisker and Swiftfrost as vessels for Futaba and Ren until Bramblestar is back in his own body. I'm the one who they last spoke to."

"So, do you know where they are?"

"Follow me." C.C. stood up from the tree stump and began to walk deeper into the forest, Foxpaw following behind her. They reached another small clearing, this time with two crystals in the middle of it. C.C. walked up to them both, and when Foxpaw got closer, he saw both Swiftfrost and Molewhisker inside of them. "Your father was in the same situation before you were born. In his case, he couldn't awaken unless they found Noctis, but in this case, Swiftfrost and Molewhisker will only awaken once Bramblestar is saved."

"Did they both volunteer to do this?" The tom wondered.

"Of course. Spottedleaf and I would never force them to relinquish their bodies without their permission. Do you remember the light aura you saw around them both? That was due to the two of them being our candidates. We only fully went on with it after they both agreed." She explained.

"Right. I'm sorry if I sounded wary by thinking you both did it on your own accord." Foxpaw meowed.

"It's alright. One of the cats here is your sister, after all. You should've seen how excited she was to volunteer when I explained everything to her."

"That sounds like Swiftfrost alright." The silver-and-black tabby chuckled. "I think I might have gotten us off-track by asking about these two. What did you bring me here to tell me about, C.C.?"

"It's about the MetaNav that Ren, Makoto, and Futaba use." She began, sitting down on the grass in front of the tom. "The power they have is key to saving Bramblestar. However, the way that it works in this world is different than what they are used to. There will be times where your Geass must be used in order to help them use it."

"My…Geass? How do they connect?"

"I've been able to learn about you Geass, Foxpaw, which is something the person who gives you Geass is rarely able to do." She explained. "From what you did to the rogues, it would make it seem like your Geass' main ability is to inflict nightmares…but that isn't the case. I'm sure your father and Nightheart suggesting the idea made it seem that way, but that was the only time you ever used your Geass." What C.C. said was true. Foxpaw had never used his Geass after that day, mostly because there was no reason to give cats nightmares, but now she was telling him that he was wrong.

"If it isn't meant to grant cats nightmares, then what does it do?"

"They were close when they suggested that it caused nightmares, but that was only because of the situation you were in at the time." C.C. stated. "Your Geass allows you to force any cat you look at into a deep slumber. However, you're in control of their mental state during that period. You were able to put those rogues into their worst nightmares, but that only lasted for a short amount of time. If you use it to simply make them fall asleep, they'll stay that way for a much longer period of time."

"Does that mean that the MetaNav can only be used when the cat we're choosing is asleep?" C.C. nodded.

"Correct. Simply put, the MetaNav allows you to enter the dreams of cats. You and the others can use this to your advantage by using the MetaNav at night, but you must be careful: the MetaNav has a radius that affects any cat inside of it, so only use it when you're sure no other cats are around. I'm sure Ren, Futaba, and Makoto are aware of that aspect at least."

"The ability to enter dreams…that would explain the nightmares my sister has been having."

"Yes. I know that you and the others have been talking about using Nightheart as a way to test yourselves before saving Bramblestar…but just because what's going on with Bramblestar is more drastic doesn't mean that you can take Nightheart's situation lightly. You all need to be careful when helping your sister, Foxpaw."

"We will, C.C. Thank you for telling me all of this. You don't know how much I appreciate it."

"I'm just glad that Spottedleaf and I were able to figure something out." She replied. "You need to get some rest now. You'll be helping your sister tomorrow, after all." Foxpaw responded with a nod before his surroundings faded away.

In the warriors' den, Ren's eyes slowly opened when he felt Nightheart's pelt constantly brush against his. He looked over at the she-cat and realized that she was having a nightmare, letting out heavy breaths as she struggled in her sleep. Ren placed a paw on her black coat and gave her a shake. Her violet eyes opened, revealing that they were glistening with tears.

"You're alright. You were just having a nightmare." The brown-and-cream tom told her.

"I woke you up, didn't I? I'm sorry about that, Ren." She apologized softly, letting out a small sniff.

"It sounded pretty bad. What was it about?" He wondered. Nightheart looked down at her paws. "I'm probably overstepping my boundaries right now, huh?"

"N-No, not at all. Although we've only met, I consider you a friend, Ren."

"Not just because I'm in Molewhisker's body, right?" The she-cat shook her head. "Thanks, Nightheart." She let out a small smile, but it soon faded as she turned her gaze away from his.

"I guess…if you're going to help me, you should know what my nightmares are about." She meowed, getting to her paws. "Do you mind following me? I don't want to wake any of the others, or let them hear about this." The two carefully exited the warriors' den and sat in the middle of camp, away from any of the dens. Nightheart turned her attention to the tom. "Do you remember the shadow you saw around me when you woke up in the medicine cat's den?" Ren nodded. "Before you came to this world, my brother and Suguha confronted these rogues on our territory. They made it back safely…but after hearing what almost happened to them, I was consumed by hatred and left to find the rogues that harmed them."

"So your nightmares are due to the revenge you took on them?" The she-cat nodded.

"It wasn't just any sort of revenge." She meowed. "You know that my brother has the power of Geass, correct?"

"Yeah. It's the thing in his eye, right?"

"Yes. I also have the power as well, but mine allows me to control any cat I make eye contact with. It used to belong to my father, but to save my life, he passed it down to me." She let out a breath. "With that power, I…I…" Ren noticed the she-cat begin to shake.

"You don't have to tell me, Nightheart." The tom assured her. "I can see how hard this is for you."

"N-No, I have to accept what I did." She responded. "I gave two of them the command to die…and I made one unable to move so I could kill him myself. The nightmares I have are a constant reminder of what I did that day. Situations where I use my Geass to kill keep occurring over and over…and I can't do anything about them." She sobbed. "I just…I want them to stop, Ren. Please…please make them disappear." The tom felt his chest tighten at the she-cat's plea. _For this to scar someone like Nightheart, it's understandable…but I still don't understand how to access her palace._

"Nightheart, once I'm able to understand how the MetaNav works in this world, the others and I will help you as soon as we can. You don't deserve what you're going through at all. We'll end those nightmares, I promise."

"Thank you, Ren…" The she-cat pressed her head onto the tom's chest, causing the fur on his face to grow hot. He didn't push her away, however. He was in her mate's body, after all, so naturally she'd come to him for comfort. Once she moved away from the tom, a small blush formed on her face. "I-I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I know you're not Molewhisker, b-but I just wanted to show how much I appreciate what you're doing for me."

"I-It's fine, don't worry about it." He assured her. "Do you think you'll be able to go to sleep?"

"I hope so." The two made their way back into the warriors' den, and when Nightheart rested down in her bedding, Ren pressed closed to her, their coats touching. She looked at the tom.

"So you don't worry. I'm sure Molewhisker would do something like this to comfort you, right?" _I mean, this is what couples would do in my world. I know I don't have to, but I'd like to help her in any way possible, at least until we figure out how the MetaNav works._ Nightheart let out a small smile and snuggled closer to Ren. _We'll find out somehow, I know it._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Foxpaw's eyes slowly opened the next morning, the tom remembering what C.C. told him in his dream last night. _I need to tell the others!_ The tom ran out of the apprentice's den and rushed into the warriors' den. He saw that Futaba was fast asleep, and so were Ren and Nightheart.

"Foxpaw, you know you're not supposed to be in here." He turned around and saw that it was Ivypool, the she-cat noticing him run into the den.

"I'm sorry, mother, but I know how to help Nightheart." He whispered.

"You do?" Ivypool looked at her son in surprise. "Let's talk about it outside." After grabbing a mouse to share with Foxpaw from the fresh-kill pile, the two sat down in a vacant area of camp. "How can we help your sister?" Foxpaw took a bite of the mouse and swallowed before he spoke.

"C.C. spoke with me last night. She told me that my Geass' real ability was to put anyone to sleep, but I decide what happens in their sleep. Apparently Ren and Futaba's MetaNav only work if the cat they're selecting is asleep." Ivypool let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm glad the solution came so soon. We need to wake the others up and tell them so that we can help your sister right away." After they finished eating, Foxpaw went back into the warriors' den, while Ivypool made her way to the medicine cat's den to tell Alderheart and Jayfeather the news. The violet-eyed tom walked over to where Futaba was sleeping and gave her body a shake.

"Swiftfrost? You need to wake up now." He meowed, causing the she-cat to let out a groan.

"Not yet…I'm still tired…"

"You have to get up."

"Inari…still sleepy." The tom let out a sigh. Instead of trying again, he decided to wake Ren up. Like with Futaba, he shook the tom's body, but unlike her, his eyes slowly opened.

"Foxpaw…" He let out a yawn. "What's up?"

"Can you help me wake up Futaba? I know how your MetaNav works and we can help my sister now." He whispered.

"That's great! Where is she?" Ren got to his paws and walked towards Futaba. "Futaba? Wake up." He meowed, but she didn't move. Placing two paws on her, Ren shook the she-cat's body quickly, causing her eyes to open.

"Ah! What the heck was that for?!" She spat. "I was having such a good sleep, too. These nests are surprisingly comfortable."

"Foxpaw knows how to use the MetaNav. We have to help Nightheart now." He meowed.

"Why didn't he say so?! If we can help our big sister, we need to do it right away!"

"Is there anything I can do to help?" The three turned around and saw that it was Fernsong.

"Oh, Fernsong! We have it all under control." Foxpaw quickly assured him before waking up his older sister. Nightheart's violet eyes opened to see her younger brother. "Nightheart, C.C. told me how the MetaNav works. We can stop your nightmares now."

"R-Really?" Her brother nodded. "What do we need to do?"

"Follow me." Foxpaw told her, Ren and Futaba also following behind. They entered the medicine cat's den, Ivypool, Alderheart, and Jayfeather waiting for them.

"Where's Lionblaze?" Futaba wondered.

"I think he went out on a hunting patrol." Ivypool meowed. "We can't wait for him. Whatever we're facing, we should be fine." The she-cat was eager to immediately help her eldest daughter. She didn't want to waste any more time.

"So Foxpaw, you said you knew how the MetaNav works? How?" Ren wondered.

"C.C. told me. She's a friend of my father who helps guide me at times." He stated. "She said that the MetaNav works differently here in that it allows us to enter the dreams of cats. Because of that, it only works when they're asleep."

"Oh…well then why did you wake me up?" Nightheart asked.

"Because my Geass' real power is that it allows me to put anyone I look at to sleep." Foxpaw explained. "The rogues experienced nightmares because I wanted them to, but I'll just put you to sleep, Nightheart."

"Okay." Nightheart watched as Foxpaw's right eye changed, revealing his Geass. The others then watched the she-cat fall asleep mere seconds later, Foxpaw's eye reverting back to its normal violet color. Alderheart moved her onto one of the vacant nests in the medicine cat's den.

"So, we can enter her palace now?" Futaba wondered, swiping a paw down to open the MetaNav.

"Wait!" Ren quickly put her paw down. "We can't use it here, remember? The entire Clan could end up with us if we did!"

"Right, sorry!" The silver-and-white she-cat quickly apologized.

"I'll stay here with her. Hopefully you're successful in helping her." Jayfeather meowed.

"Should I take some herbs with me before I go?" Alderheart wondered.

"You're going into her dreams, Alderheart. I don't think any herbs will stay with you if you bring them." The blind medicine cat responded. "Just try to come back before anyone gets suspicious." The five cats walked towards the exit of camp, but were stopped by Squirrelflight.

"Where are you all off to?"

"Oh, um…" Alderheart stammered.

"I was going out with Alderheart to help him collect herbs." Futaba meowed.

"Foxpaw and I were going out to train, but Ivypool wanted to watch." Ren added. Squirrelflight looked at each of them once more before nodding her head.

"Very well. If you can, please bring some fresh-kill back as well."

"Yes, Squirrelflight." Ivypool dipped her head in thanks before they all made their way into the forest.

After walking for a few minutes, Foxpaw tasted the air, hoping that no other cats were nearby when they'd use the MetaNav.

"Is everyone ready?" Ren asked, swiping his paw down to open the MetaNav. "We have to be careful, everyone. We don't know what to expect when we enter Nightheart's dream." The others simply nodded. "Okay, let's do it." He tapped on Nightheart's name and then the 'Go' button at the very bottom right of the screen. The five of them watched as their surrounded began to warp around them, their vision fading to black as they entered Nightheart's dream.

When the five of them regained their vision, they looked around them. Unlike when they walked out into the forest, there was no sunlight. Instead, the dark blanket of night filled the sky above them, the trees around them also an eerie gray color. A thin mist flowed through the forest floor, which almost seemed sticky as they needed to make an effort to move their paws.

"This place is k-kinda creepy." Futaba meowed as she looked around.

"Futaba, what is that on your face?" Foxpaw wondered. "And…you look different, too."

"My face…Ah! Oh, they're just my goggles that I usually get when we use the MetaNav. Isn't Ren wearing a mask, then?" She turned to look at the tom, who had his mask hanging around his neck. "Huh? You don't look like Molewhisker anymore." Ren looked down at his paws and now saw that they were covered in black fur. The same could be said for the rest of his body. Futaba did the same and now saw that she was a ginger she-cat.

"I'm guessing this is basically our outfit change when we use the MetaNav." Ren meowed. "This is how we'd look like if we weren't brought into this world as Swiftfrost and Molewhisker." He told the others before looking back at Futaba. "Y'know, you don't need to wear your goggles if you don't want to." The black tom meowed.

"Um, hello? I need to analyze enemies somehow!" She responded. "I guess you three don't get any sort of masks, huh?"

"They seem a bit…bothersome, at least yours does." Alderheart meowed. "N-No offense, Futaba." Foxpaw walked over to Ivypool's side, but noticed that she seemed stunned by something.

"Mother? Are you okay?" He asked.

"This place…no…why would she dream about this place? It has to be a mistake!" She spat.

"You know this place, Ivypool?" Ren asked.

"Yes. More than ever, we need to be careful here. Whatever injuries we sustain here, we'll sustain when we get back."

"It sounds like you've been here before." Futaba said.

"I have. There's no mistaking where we are right now." Ivypool took one final glance around and let out a breath. "We're in the Dark Forest."


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_"How nice of you_ to remember this place after all these moons, Ivypool." They all turned around to see a tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat standing at the other end of the forest. "However, this is only a replica of the place that I've made in your daughter's dreams."

"Mapleshade!" The silver-and-white she-cat called her name. "Leave my daughter alone! You'll never influence her to turn her back on the Clans!"

"You know her?" Ren asked, the she-cat replying with a nod.

"When I was younger, I was trained in the Dark Forest. It's where all evil cats reside, Mapleshade being one of them." She meowed. "I can't believe that she's been speaking with Nightheart…"

"This is all her doing, after all. Ask her yourself…" Mapleshade stepped aside, Nightheart sitting down behind her.

"Mother…" Fear was apparent in her violet eyes when she saw the others.

"Nightheart!" Ivypool called out her daughter's name. "What did Mapleshade tell you? Why are you talking to her?"

"I…I…" The black she-cat shook as she tried to get the words out.

"There's no need to be scared, Nightheart." Mapleshade meowed, placing her tail on her shoulder.

"Don't you dare touch her!" Ivypool yelled before charging towards the she-cat.

"Mother, no!" Nightheart called out. In her blinded rage, Mapleshade easily knocked the she-cat back with a swipe of her claws, slashing her cheek.

"Although this isn't the real Dark Forest, you'll still succumb to your injuries in your world. I'd be more careful if I were you, Ivypool." She meowed. "Now, let me tell you why I'm here. I'm here because your daughter is a murderer!" The five cats all looked at Nightheart, the she-cat avoiding their gazes.

"No…she would never…" Ivypool's gaze grew soft. "Tell me it isn't true, Nightheart?"

"It is…I…I'm sorry, mother."

"It couldn't have been any Clan cat. A Clan would've said someone was missing!" Alderheart stated.

"It was the rogues that attacked Suguha and I." Foxpaw stated. "Nightheart told me…and father saw her as well."

"You and your father both knew?" Ivypool looked at Foxpaw in shock.

"I didn't want to tell you, mother. I couldn't…I couldn't bear having you know your daughter was a murderer." Nightheart cried.

"I wouldn't think that, Nightheart. Those rogues hurt your brother and Suguha. This doesn't change how I see you at all!" Ivypool assured her.

"Maybe knowing how she killed them will." Mapleshade meowed. "She used her Geass to kill off two of them, and then used it on the last one to freeze him in place as she enjoyed taking his last breath."

"Stop it…please…" Nightheart begged.

"But you enjoyed it? Their warm blood running through your paws in the cold snow." The others watched as the ground below them changed into a crimson red. "The one rogue screaming in pain as he begged for his life to be spared? You loved being in control of his fate."

"Leave her alone!" Ivypool spat. "Nightheart, I don't care what you did to those rogues! It doesn't change the fact that you're my daughter and I love you so much! Don't listen to anything Mapleshade tells you!" The Dark Forest cat scoffed.

"If you want to save her, you'll meet me at the sight of her devious act." The others watched as Nightheart and Mapleshade disappeared from their view, and at that moment, their surroundings changed. The dark sky and eerie fog still loomed around their paws, but instead, the floor was now blanketed with snow.

"Alderheart, can you address Ivypool's wound?" Ren asked him.

"M-Me? I didn't bring herbs or…"

"Place your paw in front of her wound and think that you want to mend it." Futaba quickly instructed. Alderheart nodded and did what the she-cat told him. Ivypool's cut on her cheek began to glow, and when it subsided, the wound was closed.

"What…was that?"

"Healing magic. We brought you in here with the MetaNav, and since you're a medicine cat, I assumed you had to have some sort of healing abilities." Futaba told her. "You three are now honorary members of the Phantom Thieves!"

"Phantom…Thieves?" Foxpaw tilted his head in confusion.

"The group Futaba, Makoto, and I are a part of. We used the MetaNav in our world to fight injustice and evil, and we'll be doing the same here." Ren meowed.

"Should we give everyone code names?" Futaba asked.

"I don't think that'll be necessary."

"Aw, well…can I still at least call you Joker while we're here?" The ginger she-cat asked.

"Fine. If it's easier for you all, you can do that same. Futaba's code-name is Oracle if you want to call her that." The tom meowed. He noticed that Ivypool still seemed fazed by everything that had just happened and walked over to her. "You okay?"

"I…I think so. I just didn't think Nightheart's nightmares were due to Mapleshade reminding her of murdering those rogues." She meowed. "She's always been such a sweet cat…but to know that she killed three rogues with her Geass…it's hard for me to believe."

"I understand. She told me all about it last night." The tom informed her. "She wants these nightmares to end, Ivypool. If we want Nightheart to forget about what she did, we need to defeat Mapleshade, but we can't just fight her headfirst like you did. This is a world she created, so she must be powerful while here. We need to fight her together." Ivypool nodded.

"I'm sorry for rushing in like that."

"Hey, she's your daughter. You just want her to be safe." He meowed. "We'll save her, there's no denying that. We just have to find where they are. Do you know the place she was talking about?"

"Foxpaw and Suguha were attacked by the rogues near the abandoned Twoleg nest north of ThunderClan." She meowed. "But that would mean that we'd need to be on ThunderClan territory."

"Right, but there's no way she'd make it that easy for us to get there." The black tom replied. "Let's go talk with the others." Ivypool and Ren regrouped with the other three to talk about their plan of action.

"What's the plan, Joker?" Futaba asked.

"Ivypool says she knows where Mapleshade and Nightheart are."

"The abandoned Twoleg den, right?" Foxpaw meowed. Ren nodded. "But, how do we even know where to go? This land is so vast."

"Foxpaw's right. Every time we've used the MetaNav, it's more linear than just being thrown out here in the cold." Futaba added. "Which way do we even go?" The five cats looked around, tasting the air and trying to look for clues.

"Wait…I think I know where we are." Alderheart meowed.

"You do?" Ren looked at the medicine cat.

"Yeah. If they're at the abandoned Twoleg den, then it's possible that we're around the lake. The trees around here look like they're similar to the ones at the very edge of WindClan territory."

"Are you sure, Alderheart?" Ivypool asked.

"Yes. I've been through WindClan territory more times than I should have." He meowed. "If this is just a replica of the lake, then if we head north, we'll reach ThunderClan."

"Maybe you should be wearing my goggles instead, Alderheart." Futaba told him. "Alright, lead the way, Joker." The tom nodded and took the lead, the rest of the group following behind him. This all felt different to Ren. Right now, the area around them had only a few trees scattered, which wasn't ideal for the usual sneaking around that he was used to. _This is different from exploring Palaces. We're in Nightheart's dream manipulated by Mapleshade. Still, I'm sure we'll run into Shadows along the way._ When they reached the end of the small forest, they saw that Alderheart was right. To the left of them, they could see the lake that formed the heart of the Clan territories.

"Oh!" Futaba stepped back in surprise. "That was weird. I have a basic map of where we need to go now. Probably because I can see so much of the land now that we're out of the forest."

"Anything else?" Foxpaw asked.

"Nope, but don't worry, bro, we'll save our big sis in no time!" Ivypool let out a small chuckle.

"I know now isn't the time, but it's cute that you still act like Swiftfrost even when you're yourself, Futaba."

"I think I'm getting used to it." She responded. "Okay, Joker, see that stream in the distance? Head towards it." The black tom didn't move. "Earth to Joker? Hey! Nightheart can't wait for us forever!" The tom placed his tail in front of the she-cat's mouth.

"We're going around that way." He pointed his tail east towards the hills. "If we head straight, we'll be visible. The trees over there will give us cover in case anyone's around."

"That's a good idea. Going straight would lead us directly onto WindClan territory. If Mapleshade created this world, then it's no doubt there will be hostile cats that way." Foxpaw said.

"But it'll take double the time to make it there! They'll probably be enemies along that way too, but we can kick evil cat butt, no problem!" The ginger she-cat meowed confidently. "Don't you care about Nightheart?" Futaba asked.

"Of course I do!" The tom snapped before letting out a sigh. "I know I haven't known her for long, but in the time I have, I've learned how friendly she is. She doesn't deserve the torture she's been going through that Mapleshade is causing…but she also wouldn't want us getting hurt trying to save her."

"Ren's right. I want to help Nightheart more than anything, but we have to be careful." Ivypool added.

"Right…sorry." Futaba apologized. "Let's get going then."

The group headed towards the eastern hills of WindClan territory, the five not being stopped by any sort of enemies yet. When they reached the trees near the hills, Ren tasted the air, the others doing the same.

"It doesn't smell like WindClan…but it's definitely something I haven't smelled before." Alderheart meowed. Ren's dark gray eyes began to glow and he looked through the trees. In the distance, he could see the glowing silhouettes of cats pacing through the forest. Next to him, Foxpaw's right eye became encompassed with Geass, the apprentice seeing the same silhouettes.

"You see them, Foxpaw?" The tom asked after he noticed Foxpaw using his Geass.

"Yeah. They look like cats."

"Right. We've finally found the enemy." Ren meowed. "Stay close to the shadows of the trees, everyone. I'll ambush them first, and then we'll fight." The others nodded and began to follow the black tom through the shadows of the trees. As they moved deeper into the forest, the scent of the enemy became stronger. They were also able to get a look at the enemy as well. They were pure black cats made of shadows, white masks covering their faces. They were very similar to the Shadows Ren and Futaba had encountered before. The group split up into two groups and hid behind two separate trees, trying their best to remain hidden. "Wait here." Ren climbed up the tree he was hiding behind and carefully walked along one of its branches. There were three enemies close by, so leaping on one would get the attention of the other two. _There's five of us. We should be able to fend them off and move along._ Ren waited for the cat below him to turn around before he leaped down, landing on the cat's back. In his mouth, he grabbed the mask it was wearing and forcefully ripped it off before jumping back towards the others. "Get ready, everyone!" The other two cats ran to the aid of their injured ally and seemed ready to fight, which confused Ren. _Usually they'd turn into some sort of monster, but I guess removing their mask gravely injures them instead in this world._

"I think they're just like normal cats. I can't see anything else about them." Futaba meowed as she stood behind the others.

"Okay. Foxpaw, you're with me. We'll take the one on the right. Ivypool, Alderheart, take the one on the left."

"Got it. Are you ready, Alderheart?"

"Um…I think so. B-But shouldn't Futaba help instead?"

"No time, watch out!" Futaba called out as one of the cats pounced towards Alderheart, the tom clumsily sidestepping out of the way. "I'm the support of this group. Here, this'll make things easier for you." She raised a paw out towards Alderheart, a green light glowing below his paws before fading away. "There, you'll evade attacks much easier now. Just concentrate, and don't be afraid!"

"Just follow my lead, Alderheart. We'll win easily." Ivypool assured him.

"Right. Sorry, Ivypool." He apologized.

"It's alright. I know you're not expected to fight. Just flank from the left, and I'll go from the right and we'll get the jump on the enemy." The tom nodded and the two executed their plan. Alderheart was surprised at how quick he now was. He charged towards the Shadow, but Ivypool still wasn't in position yet, the Shadow now turning its attention towards him. As it attacked, Alderheart continued stepping back with ease. _This has to be the magic that Futaba used. There's no way I'd dodge all these attacks without tripping._

"Perfect, Alderheart!" Ivypool called out. The silver-and-white she-cat leaped onto the Shadow's back and grabbed its mask, pulling it off the same way Ren did. Right after she did, Ivypool unsheathed her claws on her right forepaw and dug it into the Shadow's throat, ripping them through before it disappeared from under her.

Ren and Foxpaw attacked the Shadow they were fighting head-on, the two landing strikes together to weaken the Shadow. As they continued to attack, the Shadow seemed to ignore their hits and pounced towards Ren, pinning him to the ground, its fangs now bared.

"Ren!" Foxpaw looked on as the tom tried to dodge the Shadow's viscous bites.

"Foxpaw, the mask! Do what I did!" He commanded. Foxpaw nodded and pounced on the Shadow's back. It began to try and shake Foxpaw off, but he was able to grip the bottom of the mask with a paw before tearing it off, the Shadow letting out a wail of pain. Foxpaw leaped off of its back, Ren kicking the Shadow off of him before getting back to his paws and leaping towards it, fangs bared to deliver the killing blow. With one powerful bite to the neck, the Shadow disappeared.

"Joker, behind you!" Futaba called out. The Shadow he had weakened when he initiated the attack leaped towards Ren, but before he could turn around, Foxpaw charged towards it, claws unsheathed as he aimed for its neck. He intercepted the Shadow with ease, the shadow cat disappearing as soon as Foxpaw pinned it to the ground.

"Thanks, Foxpaw." Ren nodding, cracking a small grin towards the apprentice.

"No problem. I was lucky to see him in time."

"That's my fault. I should've killed it after I ripped its mask off." He meowed. "Are you both okay?" He asked Alderheart and Ivypool.

"We're fine." Ivypool meowed. "These fights won't always be this simple, I bet."

"Yeah. There might be times where we're evenly matched. Let's hope the only time is when we're fighting Mapleshade." Ren meowed. "That means you'll have to fight too, Futaba. We can't just have you standing back there like you usually do." The ginger she-cat sighed.

"Fine. I'll try my best to fight and buff everyone…especially this one right here." She looked at Alderheart. "Aldie, you need to be more confident!"

"Aldie?" The dark ginger tom looked at her.

"Alderheart is such a long name to say. Aldie's gonna be my nickname for you. No objections? Good." She meowed. "Now c'mon, we have more fighting to do!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Nice catch, Makoto." Lelouch meowed, the brown she-cat shaking the snow out of her fur, a small mouse in her jaws. She dropped the prey down and let out a sigh.

"At least I finally caught something. Hunting as a cat is really hard work. I'm sure this weather doesn't help either, huh?" The tom nodded.

"We'd have better luck in any season except winter. You really have to use all your senses around this time of year." Lelouch picked up the rabbit he caught and motioned for Makoto to follow him back to SkyClan.

When the two entered camp, they dropped their prey down at the fresh-kill pile. Hawkwing approached the two and examined their catches.

"Thank you both for going out hunting. In this weather, what you caught is more than enough." The deputy told them.

"We could've caught more, but I failed on my first few attempts. I'm still getting used to being a cat in this world." Makoto dipped her head to apologize to the deputy, but he shook his head.

"There's no need to worry, Makoto. If we think of you just training as if you were an apprentice, the mouse you caught is impressive. Just keep learning and I'm sure you'll bring more prey eventually."

"Right. Thank you, Hawkwing." The deputy let out a small smile before he returned to his post near the entrance to camp. "I hope he's right. SkyClan's letting us stay here, after all. I don't want us being a burden on them, especially when prey is scarce." Lelouch nodded.

"You do have the potential to be a great hunter, Makoto. You're definitely more agile than me, that's for sure."

"Well, your instructions were very clear when it came to teaching me how to hunt." She replied. "I'm surprised that you haven't been given an apprentice yet, Lelouch."

"If we can save Bramblestar in time, I think one of Sorrelstripe or Sparkpelt's kits would be assigned to me. I don't think you were able to meet them since they're in the nursery at the moment."

"I wish I was able to. I'm sure they're really cute."

"Lelouch, Makoto, may I speak with you both?" The two turned and saw that it was Leafstar, the leader standing at the front of her den. As they approached, she retreated back inside of the den, waiting for the two to enter. When they did, she motioned for them both to take a seat. "You both are not in any sort of trouble. I just wanted to ask you both about the code-breakers."

"What about them?" Lelouch wondered.

"For one, I'm not even sure how to approach this situation. How can I accuse any cat in my Clan of breaking the warrior code?" She meowed before looking over at Makoto. "You said you were brought here to help with the code-breakers, correct? Were you given any sort of instructions on how to deal with them, Makoto?" The brown she-cat shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Leafstar. When I was given the task to help the Clans, even I didn't know what I was being brought into." The red-eyed she-cat replied. "If you're looking for code-breakers, then wouldn't simply just watching the cats in camp suffice?"

"It's not that simple. From what Bramblestar said, code-breakers include ones who've broken the warrior code in the past. I'm sure no cat would accuse a Clanmate of breaking the warrior code, and I don't want to accuse any of my Clanmates, either."

"Then, why not just forget about it?" Makoto asked.

"Because StarClan has shut themselves out from the Clans." The leader told her. "We need their guidance, but if these code-breakers are the reason they aren't speaking with us, then we need to do something." Leafstar let out a sigh. "If only I knew what that 'something' was…"

"We hope to be able to help the Clans figure it all out as well." Lelouch replied.

"Right. The sooner we do, the sooner you'll have two less mouths to feed." Makoto added. The SkyClan leader shook her head.

"As long as you both can hunt for SkyClan, you're more than welcome to stay here." She meowed. "Please let me know if you both find out something new that could help us reconnect with StarClan. You may go now." The two dipped their heads before leaving the leader's den.

"Lelouch?" The violet-eyed tom turned around when he heard Makoto.

"What is it?"

"Do you think that whoever's controlling Bramblestar is blocking the Clan cats from speaking with StarClan?"

"I can't say for certain. It could be possible, especially since the two events are coinciding with each other." He meowed. "If this is what's going on, then the Clans could be in more trouble than we think." The tom turned his nose towards the apprentice's den. "We should ask Rootpaw to let us speak with Bramblestar again. Maybe he's learned something new." The brown she-cat nodded and followed the tom over to the apprentice's den. When they walked inside, they were greeted by Needlepaw.

"Hi Makoto! Hi Lelouch!"

"Hello Needlepaw. Is your brother around?" Makoto asked.

"Rootpaw? I think he's out training with Dewspring." She replied. "Say, why are you both so attached to him? It's not like you've known him for that long."

"You'll understand when you're older, Needlepaw." Lelouch assured her, hoping such a makeshift phrase would be enough. "We'll see you later, okay?" The apprentice let out a sigh, causing Lelouch to smile. _She reminds me of Sparkpelt when she was an apprentice._ _Hopefully everyone's doing okay in ThunderClan. We need to find out everything about what's going on with Bramblestar before things become drastic._ As the two left the apprentice's den, they ran into Tree.

"Were you both looking for Rootpaw?" The yellow tom asked.

"How'd you know?" The red-eyed she-cat wondered.

"You both have been interested in him ever since coming here." He stated. "Did your otherworldly StarClan-like allies tell you something about him?" They both shook their heads. "If they do, please tell Violetshine and I. We'd like to help in any way possible." With that, the tom walked away from the two.

"Well, at least we know we have help when the time comes to reveal anything." Makoto meowed. "Still, that was a bit close. We really can't say anything without freaking out any cat, I'm sure."

"Right, but Tree could be an exception. He's possibly the reason Rootpaw can see Bramblestar, after all. If anything, he'd be one of the few cats who would easily believe us." Lelouch replied. "Let's just wait for Rootpaw to return from training."

When Rootpaw and Dewspring returned to camp, Makoto and Lelouch immediately approached the two. Dewspring looked over at the two, curiosity in his eyes.

"Makoto, Lelouch, is something wrong?"

"We just wanted to speak with Rootpaw." The she-cat told him. The warrior looked over at his apprentice.

"Is that why you've been distracted lately, Rootpaw?"

"Um…y-yeah, sorta." He meowed.

"Well, whatever you both need to talk with him about better be important. He can't be this distracted when it comes to his training." The gray tom told them. "I'll leave you three alone for now." Once the tom left, Makoto and Lelouch both looked at Rootpaw.

"Have we really been in the way of your training, Rootpaw?" Lelouch asked.

"N-No! It's more like…it's Bramblestar." He whispered. "He's been following me around everywhere I go lately. Have you both not seen him?"

"I think we only see him if we're with you." Makoto meowed. "Has Dewspring seen him?"

"No! I don't think any cat has except you two!" He replied. "Maybe it's because you both aren't from this world or something."

"That could be possible. If it's not you using your powers like your father as we initially thought, then it might be the case." Lelouch stated. "Has anything come up? Does he know who's controlling him?"

"I haven't figured it out yet." Makoto and Rootpaw both jumped when they heard Bramblestar's voice, the ghost of the ThunderClan leader now behind them.

"Can you tell us when you appear next time?!" Makoto asked. Cats around the clearing began to look at the three. "Great, now I probably look stupid right now reacting to something we can only see."

"Sorry about that, Makoto." The leader apologized. "I just wanted to answer Lelouch's question, that's all."

"Thank you, Bramblestar." The black tom replied quietly. "He hasn't done anything yet, so we still have time to figure this all out."

"I'd hope that we could fix this all soon. His talk about code-breakers is worrying me enough." Bramblestar said. "The same can be said for him exiling you and the others." He turned to look at Rootpaw. "I apologize if I've been distracting you, Rootpaw. You're really my only hope in this situation when you're not with these two."

"I just didn't expect this all to happen to me, that's all. I know I just learned about it yesterday, but it's really so much to take in."

"You have help from us two, Rootpaw, and the others as well. You're not alone in this at all." Lelouch reminded him. "We'll figure this all out in the end, I'm sure of it."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"C'mon Suguha, this way!" Lightleap called out behind her.

"Lightleap, you probably scared all the prey away." Pouncestep told her sister as she and Suguha trailed behind her. "We're only a moon away from Newleaf. Yelling doesn't help the Clan at all." The dark brown tabby let out a sigh.

"Why do you have to be so serious all the time?" She retorted. "But…you're right. Do you really think I scared most of it away?"

"I'm sure you're alright, Lightleap." Suguha assured her. "So, we're close to where you usually hunt?"

"Yup! I usually get lucky when I look around there."

"Maybe we should've waited for Kirito to wake up so you could impress him." The silver tabby teased, causing her sister to blush. "See? I'm not always so serious."

"M-Maybe it's better if you were!" Suguha let out a giggle.

"I'm sure we'd never be hunting if we waited for Kazuto. He'll probably still be asleep when we get back."

"Really?" The black she-cat nodded.

"He's the master of sleeping. Still, he's a great hunter and fighter. He'll pull his weight around ShadowClan to compensate for it, I'm sure."

"I just hope our Clanmates don't get mad at him for it. I can't imagine the dirty looks he'll get when he wakes up." Lightleap meowed. "Oh, I think I caught a scent trail." Both Suguha and Pouncestep tasted the air, catching the same scent trail Lightleap did." The brown tabby took the lead again, following the scent. When it was at its strongest, they all stopped and scanned the snowy forest floor.

"It's over there." Suguha whispered.

"Nice eyes, Suguha. Go get it." Pouncestep meowed. The black she-cat pressed her body close to the snow, lowering her tail to conceal herself better. She slowly crept towards the unsuspecting mouse until she felt confident in her leap distance. With a quick pounce and a bite to the neck, the prey was caught.

"Great job, Suguha!" Lightleap meowed. "C'mon, there's still more territory you haven't seen yet!"

In the medicine cat's den, Asuna sat down with Shadowpaw and Puddleshine, the three sorting through herbs and discarding any old ones.

"Your herb storage looks to be in good shape for leaf-bare, you two."

"Thank you, Asuna." Puddleshine meowed. When he was an apprentice, both Asuna and Leafpool taught him everything he needed to know about being a medicine cat. There was no doubt a significant amount of respect the ShadowClan medicine cat had for her. "I know I said this already, but I'm sorry that you and the others were exiled from ThunderClan by Bramblestar."

"It's okay. He's looking out for his Clan, after all."

"But you three live there. Even with the talk of code-breakers, he should've let you stay." Shadowpaw meowed. "None of you would abuse your powers to scare the other Clans anyway. I'm sure they all believe that as well." As he scanned through the stock of yarrow, he stopped. "How's Foxpaw doing? Or, I guess, how was he doing the last time you saw him?"

"He's doing great. Molewhisker's mentoring him now that Suguha's here with us. I think he might be getting his warrior name soon."

"Just like you, Shadowpaw." Puddleshine meowed.

"M-Me? Really?" This was obviously the first time the ShadowClan apprentice heard of getting his medicine cat name. His mentor nodded.

"I think in a moon you'll be ready. I've always been impressed by how fast you've caught on. I'm sure Asuna can tell you that you've learned at a way faster pace than I did."

"It's true, but to be fair, Puddleshine was pushed into this profession in a way. You've been enthusiastic about medicine ever since you started." She meowed. "I kinda wish Puddleshine kept it to himself. I might be a little too giddy until the time comes." The three heard rustling from the entrance to the medicine cat's den and saw that it was Tigerstar.

"Asuna, can I talk to you for a sec'?" The ShadowClan leader asked. The she-cat got up and followed the tom outside.

"Is something wrong?"

"Well…a bit." He confessed. "It's Kirito. He's still asleep. I don't want to wake him up, but at the same time…" Asuna shook her head.

"Wake him up. You're the leader of ShadowClan, after all. You don't need my permission or anything."

"R-Right. Sorry, I just didn't want to seem like I was being rude to our guests."

"Just treat us as we've been a part of ShadowClan all our lives. We don't want any special treatment." The leader let out a small smile before he made his way to the warriors' den. He walked over to where the black tom was curled up comfortably in his bedding.

"Kirito!" The leader snapped. Immediately, Kirito's dark gray eyes shot open and he quickly scrambled to his paws.

"Y-Yes, Tigerstar?"

"You overslept. Bramblestar may have been more lenient on the subject, but with this weather, we need strong hunters out there to feed the Clan as soon as the sun rises." He explained. "You did tout yourself to be an excellent hunter to some of the others, after all."

"Right. I'll try not to oversleep from now on, Tigerstar." The tom apologized with a dip of his head. Both Kirito and Tigerstar left the warriors' den, the black tom looking around camp for Cloverfoot. He spotted the gray tabby near the entrance to camp and approached her. "Hey, Cloverfoot. I just wanted to let you know I'm ready to go on any patrols if you need me."

"Are you sure? You're not still tired, are you?" She said with a small laugh. "I'm just kidding. Suguha went out with Lightleap and Pouncestep, but that was more to show her around ShadowClan territory. I can send you on a hunting patrol. Just let me find a few more warriors to go with you."

In a few minutes, Cloverfoot walked over to where Kirito was, bringing Dovewing, Antfur, and Scorchfur with her.

"It's been a while since we've been on patrol together, huh, Dovewing?" Kirito told the she-cat, who nodded with a smile.

"I thought I'd help find your way around here a bit." She told him. "Scorchfur, do you mind leading the group?" The dark gray tom nodded, the group now making their way out into the forest.

"Hopefully you weren't just all talk when it came to hunting, Kirito." Scorchfur told him.

"I'll try to prove myself, but not too much. Don't want to outshine any of you, after all." The dark gray tom scoffed. Kirito's dark gray eyes began to glow green as he looked around. He spotted small tracks in the snow belonging to a mouse. "There's a mouse this way." He told them.

"Really? How do you know?" Antfur asked.

"See those tracks? They're still pretty fresh." He pointed his tail to the small prints on the snow, the other three amazed that he caught them. Once they got closer to them, they could catch the faint scent of mouse.

"Impressive." Scorchfur meowed.

"Thanks. My tracking and searching skills from SAO are a great help when it comes to hunting. Hopefully it'll be enough to pull my weight around ShadowClan."

"I'm sure it will be, Kirito. We haven't even been out that long and you already found a trail in this weather." Dovewing told him.

"Right. Maybe you should take the lead." Scorchfur suggested. The black tom nodded and followed the tiny tracks, the scent of mouse getting stronger until they saw the prey at the base of a tree. "Why don't you show us your hunting skills now?" Kirito nodded and slowly walked towards the mouse, getting into a hunter's crouch when he was ready to pounce. With his tail down and body pressed against the snow, the tom sprung forward, grabbing the mouse between his paws and giving it a killing bite.

"Whoa…that was amazing! You moved so quick, Kirito!" Antfur exclaimed.

"Thanks. It took a bit of—." Kirito watched as above the three, a branch broke away, crashing down towards them. "Watch out!" The black tom darted towards them, pulling Dovewing away before the branch fell. He let out a yowl of pain after he let go of her gray coat.

"Kirito! Oh StarClan, are you okay?" Dovewing asked, worry in her green eyes.

"M-My tail just got stuck under the branch…but we need to help Scorchfur and Antfur."

"I-I'm fine, too." Scorchfur groaned as he got up from under the branch. "I don't know about Antfur, though." Dovewing ran to the tom's side and placed her head close to his chest. She let out a sigh of relief when she picked up a heartbeat.

"I think he's just unconscious. We need to go back to camp now." She told them. "Scorchfur, can you help me dig under the branch to free Kirito's tail? We'll need him if we want to lift the branch up." The tom nodded and the two were able to free his tail with ease. Together, the three lifted the branch and pulled Antfur out from under it, the tom now on Kirito and Scorchfur's back as the group ended their hunt early and returned back to camp.

The scent of blood touched Asuna's nose, the she-cat leaving the medicine cat's den to see Kirito and the others entering camp.

"Puddleshine! Shadowpaw! We'll need a few nests!" She called to them before she approached the injured cats. "What happened?"

"A branch fell out of nowhere in the forest. Kirito was able to push me away, so I'm fine, but his tail got stuck under the branch. Scorchfur and Antfur were caught under the branch, too, but Antfur's the only one seriously hurt." Dovewing told her.

"Is everything okay?" Tigerstar asked when he saw them.

"A tree branch fell on them." Asuna told the ShadowClan leader. "You three come with me." The cream she-cat looked at Dovewing. "Are you sure you're okay?" She nodded.

"I think I'd just like to rest for now. Thanks again for pulling me away from the branch, Kirito."

"No problem. I just wish I could've helped Scorchfur and Antfur, too." Asuna gave her mate a lick to the ear.

"Don't beat yourself up too much. Even you're not fast enough to save more than one cat from a falling branch." Asuna meowed. "You should go to the medicine cat's den now. We really need to check up on Antfur immediately." Asuna followed the three into the medicine cat's den, the she-cat's hazel eyes glowing as the three were resting down on the nests made for them.

"Are they okay?" Shadowpaw asked, curiously watching as Asuna looked over them.

"Kirito and Scorchfur are fine. Scorchfur has a few bruises and Kirito just has an injured tail. It's Antfur I'm worried about. I think he's suffered a concussion." The brown-and-black tom's amber eyes slowly opened, looking up at Asuna.

"Are you one of those forest cats?" He asked. "The scrapcans…there's enough food for cats in them."

"He thinks he's still in the city." Shadowpaw meowed.

"Just get some rest, Antfur. You'll be fine. There's no need to rummage through any scrapcans for now." Asuna assured him. Tigerstar entered the medicine cat's den a few minutes later to see how the three were doing.

"Are they all okay?"

"Kirito and Scorchfur are, but Antfur's just a bit confused. He'll need some rest." Shadowpaw told his father. The leader walked over to where Scorchfur and Kirito were.

"Asuna told me a tree branch fell?"

"Yeah. There was no way it should have, though. It wasn't rotten or anything." Scorchfur stated. "Kirito was lucky to react fast enough to put Dovewing away. There's no way any cat could've predicted the branch breaking away." The ShadowClan leader looked over at Kirito, Shadowpaw wrapping a cobweb around his tail.

"Thank you for saving Dovewing, Kirito."

"Hey, you stuck by Asuna when Darktail was in ShadowClan. I think helping your mate out at times is the least I could do." The tom meowed with a smile. "Can I move my tail now, Shadowpaw? Shadowpaw?" Kirito looked behind him and saw that the gray tabby stopped. "You okay, Shadowpaw?" The apprentice broke away from his sudden stupor and looked at the tom.

"S-Sorry about that, Kirito. Your tail's all patched up." He meowed. "I'll go check up on mother." As Shadowpaw left, Asuna's hazel gaze followed him. Earlier, Snowbird had injured her paw hunting, and it seemed to worry him, but that same worry just occurred while he was mending Kirito's tail. _He's probably just concerned about his Clanmates, that's all. Still, maybe something is bothering him._


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

_"Is everyone alright?" Ren_ asked the others as they caught their breath. They had just finished battling another group of Shadows, but they were closer to their destination now.

"We're fine. Let's keep going." Ivypool meowed. However, Ren shook his head, to the surprise of the others.

"Let's stop here for today."

"What? We're almost there!" Futaba meowed. "We can't stop now, Joker."

"We'll need all our energy for what we're going to face next. Who knows how many Shadows we fought to get here?" The black tom meowed. "Like we agreed on, the last thing Nightheart would want is for us to get hurt saving her."

"I guess you're right. All that battling has worn Aldie and I out. It would be the smarter move." Alderheart nodded his head in agreement.

"Foxpaw? Ivypool? Do you think we should leave for today?"

"As long as we save her tomorrow, it should be okay." Ivypool meowed.

"Right." With every cat's approval, Ren swiped a paw down and with a tap of his paw on the transparent screen, their surroundings began to fade as they left Nightheart's dream world.

When the group regained consciousness, they saw that they were in the same clearing they were at before when they entered, but now the sun began to set.

"We've been gone for this long? Won't everyone be suspicious?" Alderheart meowed.

"We'll have to think of some sort of excuse." Ren told them.

"That's a bit difficult considering we apparently were gone for half the day." Ivypool replied. "Honestly, I can't think of any excuse that will get us out of this one."

"I got it!" Futaba meowed. "We'll say that we went to look for Lelouch and the others to see how they were doing."

"I think that might work. It might get us in some sort of trouble with Bramblestar, but it's better than having no excuse at all." Foxpaw stated. "Great thinking, Futaba."

"No problem, bro." Ren looked over at the others.

"Alright, let's get back to camp."

When the five of them returned, Squirrelflight ran over to them, followed by Bramblestar.

"There you five are! We were worried about you!" The deputy meowed. "Are you all alright? We almost sent out a patrol to look for you."

"'Almost' is a bit of an overstatement. I believed that you five were alright. We can't be wasting warriors in this weather." The leader meowed.

"Sorry. We just wanted to see how Lelouch and the others were doing if we were able to find them." Ren lied.

"Did you?" Squirrelflight asked, the tom shaking his head.

"Did you five want to join them?" The possessed ThunderClan leader asked.

"Bramblestar! Alderheart's with them. He's our son!" The deputy retorted.

"R-Right. I didn't mean it that way."

"We're sorry for being out late." Foxpaw apologized. "Molewhisker and I did train before we went to search, though." Bramblestar let out a small smile.

"Excellent. You'll be receiving your warrior name soon, Foxpaw. You've been training as long as Swiftfrost has, after all. Maybe you could have your warrior assessment tomorrow?"

"No!" Ivypool blurted out. "I-I'm sorry. I just…wish Lelouch could be here to see Foxpaw get his warrior name. He's been waiting to see it happen, after all." Squirrelflight looked at her mate.

"We can let him at least come see that. It won't do any sort of harm." She meowed.

"They just said that they couldn't find him."

"B-But if we did, could my dad come see Foxpaw get his warrior name?" Futaba asked. The leader let out a sigh.

"Very well, but after the ceremony he has to leave."

"Yes, Bramblestar, thank you." Foxpaw dipped his head in thanks.

"You're welcome. I'm sure you all are tired from your impromptu search. Get some rest." The five nodded and made their way over to the medicine cat's den. They saw that Nightheart was now awake, the she-cat speaking with Jayfeather. At the sound of their pawsteps, she turned around, but immediately averted her gaze away from them, her body shaking.

"Nightheart…" Ivypool was the first to break away from them, pressing close to her daughter.

"Oh mother, I'm so sorry!" She cried into her fur.

"It's okay, I promise." She assured her. "You did it to protect cats that you care for dearly."

"So, is Nightheart alright now? Did you five do it?" Jayfeather asked.

"Almost. We'll rid her of her nightmares tomorrow." Ren told him.

"Can I tell Jayfeather what happened with Nightheart?" Alderheart asked.

"It's alright, Alderheart." The blind tom assured him. "You all were gone for so long, though. I was starting to think you went missing."

"Well, we sort of were, in a way." Futaba meowed. "We traveled into Nightheart's dreams."

"You walked in her dreams? Is that how your powers work?"

"Not in our world." The brown-and-cream tom said. "The way our powers worked in her dream was the same, though."

"Plus, it wasn't like how you were able to walk into dreams like Leafpool told me about. Our bodies were physically transported there. We weren't just asleep." Alderheart added.

"The powers cats from other worlds have get stranger and stranger every time new ones arrive." Jayfeather stated. "Hopefully you all are successful tomorrow. Nightheart was definitely shaking in her sleep."

"We will be, I'm sure of it."

In the middle of the night, Ren slowly got up from his bedding. He looked next to him and saw that Nightheart was fast asleep. _I know I didn't tell the others, but right now would be the best chance we have to save Nightheart._ Ren walked over to Ivypool and gave her body a small shake, causing the she-cat's blue eyes to slowly open.

"Ren? What happened?"

"I know this is sudden, but we're going to save Nightheart now."

"Are you sure? You weren't wrong when you said we needed some rest."

"And we got some." The tom quickly responded. It seemed like he wouldn't take no for an answer. "Can you wake up Alderheart and Foxpaw? I'll get Futaba."

"I'm already awake." The silver-and-white tabby meowed with a whisper. "I'm really not sure why, though. Usually I'd love to be sleeping. I guess I really want to save my older sister." Quietly, the three cats left the warriors' den and made their way to the apprentice's den where Foxpaw was sleeping. Futaba tapped on his coat with her tail, his violet eyes slowly opening.

"What's going on?" The apprentice wondered when he saw the three cats.

"We're going to help your sister now." Ivypool told him. "Are you still tired?"

"A little…but I care about Nightheart too much to let sleep get in my way." He replied. "We just need to get Alderheart then, right? How about Lionblaze? Should we bring him with us this time?"

"We should be alright." Ren assured him. The four of them made their way to the medicine cat's den, both Jayfeather and Alderheart sound asleep. Futaba walked over to the dark ginger tom.

"Aldie, hey, wake up." The medicine cat stretched his paws and let out a yawn.

"Futaba? Is something wrong?" He asked. He then noticed the others behind her. "What's going on?"

"We're going to finish where we left off. We're going to defeat Mapleshade." Ren stated. "Everyone's asleep, so now would be the perfect time to do it before I need to give Foxpaw his warrior assessment." The tom gave him a nod of understanding and got up from his bedding.

Together, the five cats left camp, Ren opening the MetaNav as soon as they made it to the same spot they were at yesterday. With a few taps of his paw, their surroundings began to change, revealing the area in Nightheart's dream where they left off.

"Futaba, how close are we to Mapleshade?" The black tom wondered. Futaba looked around until she obtained a strong reading from her goggles.

"Pretty close. I think we're just a minute or two away." She meowed. "Joker, was it a good idea to come here while Nightheart was asleep by herself, rather than from Foxpaw's Geass? What if she wakes up?"

"Does something bad happen if we're still here while she's awake?" Alderheart fretted.

"If it's anything like palaces collapsing, we'll just need to leave immediately." Ren assured them. The four of them noticed the tom now seemed hesitant. "Maybe this wasn't a good idea. I shouldn't have forced you all here if you still needed rest."

"We're fine, Ren, really." Ivypool assured the tom. "You were so confident before coming here, after all."

"That might be my fault." The five of them turned around when they heard a mysterious voice behind them. It was Molewhisker, the tom's body faded.

"Molewhisker? What are you doing here?" Foxpaw wondered.

"And you do sound like Ren, too!" Futaba stated.

"You sound like Swiftfrost. She's here, too."

"Where?" Ivypool looked around. Next to Futaba, they saw the silver and white she-cat slowly appear. "Swiftfrost! Thank StarClan you're still okay."

"Molewhisker and I are fine. There's nothing to worry about." Futaba removed her goggles and looked at the she-cat in shock.

"Why does she sound like me, too?!"

"No, _you_ sound like me!" The ghostly silver-and-white she-cat meowed in surprise. "I guess it's kinda cool, in a strange, sort of way."

"D-Definitely." Futaba agreed. "Wait…if you and Molewhisker have been here the entire time, why are we just seeing you now?"

"Remember when I said it was my fault you five were here?" Molewhisker began. "I was mixing my own emotions with Ren's. That's why he was so willing to come here at night."

"That's why you were awake, too, Futaba. Sorry about that." Swiftfrost apologized.

"So, you both are actually somewhat still in your bodies in the real world?" Alderheart asked.

"I don't think so." Foxpaw meowed. "I saw Molewhisker and my sister stuck in crystal when I spoke with C.C. a while ago."

"Right. If anything, what Ren and Futaba experienced was me and Swiftfrost's desire to save Nightheart." Molewhisker explained. "We'll be here helping you all, even if you don't see us. C.C. told us we'd be bonded to these two until they've saved the Clans."

"Oh, so you're like our Personas in this world!" Futaba realized.

"It seems that way." Ren turned to face Molewhisker, the brown-and-cream tom greeting him with a small smile. "We'll save her, I promise."

"Right. I know my desire to save Nightheart is strong, but I know you want to save her as well, Ren. Thank you for that."

"You too, Futaba. I'm sure Nightheart appreciates what you're doing for her."

"You should see how she acts as you. It's almost like you're still in your body, Swiftfrost." Foxpaw told her.

"Really? Hopefully we'll be able to meet each other in the real world when all this is over. I think we'd get along."

"Y-You think so?" Futaba asked. "Sorry, I'm still getting used to the feeling of having new friends."

"Aw, well now save the Clans faster so we can meet each other already!"

"You heard her." Ren looked at the others. "Let's get going. Nightheart's waiting for us."

The five cats made their way through the snow-covered forest of Nightheart's dream world. As they were walking, Foxpaw felt his Geass suddenly activate. He looked through the trees and could see a massive dark aura radiating through them. Ren did the same, seeing the same strong aura as well.

"We're getting close. She'll be stronger than any of the Shadows we've faced on our way here." Ren warned them.

"Wait…is that…b-blood?" Futaba stuttered. As they made their way closer to the abandoned Twoleg den, the snow began to become speckled with blood. Every step they took saw the blood increase its presence, until it blanketed the white snow below it. Ivypool placed her tail on her shoulder as they walked to calm her.

"This is all Mapleshade's doing. Remember, this is all just a dream."

"R-Right." As they neared the clearing, Ren came to a stop.

"She's just through these trees. We have no idea what sort of powers she has, so the first thing we need to do is be careful." He told the others. "Alderheart, whenever one of us gets injured, focus on healing them. Try to stay away from fighting unless you see an opening. Futaba, you know what you need to do, right?"

"Buff, debuff, heal when Aldie's in a pinch." Ren nodded.

"Foxpaw, Ivypool, we'll be on the offensive. Just be careful out there, you two." With their plan now in place, the five crossed through the row of trees. They looked in horror at the sight in front of them. Blood still coated the ground, but now, there were bodies of dead cats all around the clearing, a Nightheart in the middle of it all.

"Please…stop…" The violet-eyed she-cat begged. Her fur was matted, blood dripping from her coat, the symbol of Geass in her right eye.

"Nightheart!" Behind Ren, Molewhisker appeared and called out to the she-cat. She looked over at the tom and let out a gasp.

"M-Molewhisker?"

"Is this why you told me to leave that day and forget about you?" He asked.

"Yes! I couldn't let you see your mate become a murderer. I didn't mean to make you forget about me as well!" She cried.

"I don't care what you did, Nightheart. I still love you, no matter what." Molewhisker meowed. The she-cat's eyes glistened at her mate's tender words.

"That's enough!" Mapleshade appeared in front of the she-cat, fury in her eyes. "All this sentimental talk is making me sick! You couldn't just let her accept the power her father gave her?" She growled. "No matter, once I kill you all, I'll be able to finally take control of her body and claim the Clans for the Dark Forest."

"Control her body? Just like Bramblestar?" Foxpaw meowed. "We won't let you! You've haunted my sister far enough. She killed those rogues because of what they did to Suguha and I, and she didn't want it to happen again!" The young tom spat. "If killing to protect those you love makes you a monster, then we'll all gain the same title if it means saving Nightheart!"

"Oh, nice battle dialogue, bro." Futaba meowed.

"Spoken like a real warrior, too." Swiftfrost added, appearing behind the ginger she-cat.

"S-Swiftfrost, too?" Nightheart let out a small smile when she saw her younger sister.

"Futaba and I are going to work with everyone else to save you, big sis, promise!" She called out.

"You can try, but I created this world! My powers surmount anything you all can do!" Ren, Ivypool, and Foxpaw stood in the front lines, while Alderheart and Futaba stood behind them.

"Go in you three, I got buffs coming your way!" With quick swipes of her paw, Futaba casted an attack buff on the group, a red light glowing under them briefly before fading. "Hit her with everything you've got!" The three leaped towards Mapleshade, the she-cat easily sidestepping them.

"She's fast." Ren meowed.

"Catch up with her then!" With another quick swipe, a green light now glowed under them. "Aldie, raise their defenses! You can do that, right?"

"It should work like healing does in this world, right?"

"Yes! Do it now!" The ginger she-cat commanded. Alderheart raised a paw up towards the others. _I need to think that I want to protect them!_ The tom thought. He watched as a white light formed under the three. "Did I do it?"

"I think so. Keep it going, Aldie!" The three were now able to keep up with Mapleshade, but at the moment, they were on the defensive, dodging her attacks to the best of their ability. As they were, Foxpaw lost his footing, Mapleshade's claws unsheathed, ready to strike. Ren grabbed the tom by the scruff, turning around to take the hit for him as he tossed Foxpaw away. However, right when Mapleshade's claws touched him, the she-cat was suddenly repelled back, tumbling down on the blood-laden snow.

"You okay, Foxpaw?"

"Yeah. Thank you, Ren." The tom nodded and looked over at Alderheart. "Great shield, Alderheart!"

"That was from me?!" The medicine cat was surprised.

"Yup, you went even better than raising their defense stats. Now try your paw at some debuffs, too. Just follow my lead!"

"Right!" As Mapleshade got back to her paws, she suddenly felt herself becoming weaker. Her movements seemed slow as well.

"What is this?" She looked over at Alderheart and Futaba, their paws glowing as they continued casting debilitating spells on her. "You!" Mapleshade let out a yowl, a dark aura now emanating from her. She seemed to regain her speed, the she-cat now charging towards Alderheart and Futaba.

"Watch out you two!" Ren called out.

"Futaba, you can knock her away! Trust me!" Swiftfrost told her.

"I don't think I have a choice!" The she-cat's paws now had a golden glow around them. "Out of the way, Aldie, DPS coming through!" Futaba charged towards Mapleshade; claws unsheathed. The two began sparring, Futaba amazed at how she was actually able to dodge and attack at the same time. She quickly pivoted and kicked Mapleshade back with her hindlegs, but the she-cat was able to bite onto one of her legs and throw her aside.

"Futaba!" Alderheart ran towards her, Mapleshade turning her amber gaze towards the tom. She sprinted towards him, cutting him away from Futaba.

"It looks like you'll be the first to die!" Alderheart was frozen in place. He didn't know what to do. Right as her claws neared his face, Ivypool tackled the she-cat, pinning her to the ground.

"Check on Futaba! I'll hold her in place!" Ivypool moved her head as Mapleshade brought her jaws closer, trying to bite her. With all her Dark Forest training still in her mind, Ivypool knew what the she-cat was capable of, but that also put the same combat skills to her disposal as well.

"C'mon Foxpaw, let's get her while Ivypool has her pinned!" Ren meowed. The two black toms ran towards Ivypool and Mapleshade. "Let her go, Ivypool!" The older tom called out. The silver-and-white tabby leaped off of her, and once she got to her paws, Ren leaped on her back, clawing at her face.

"Get off of me!" Mapleshade slammed the ground with a paw, sending a shockwave of dark energy throughout the clearing, knocking Ren off of her and pushed the others away. Both Futaba and Alderheart tumbled towards a tree, hitting the base hard.

"Alderheart! Futaba!" Nightheart called out, worry in her voice. "Get up! Oh, StarClan please get up!" The she-cat begged.

"You have no cats to power you up now!" Mapleshade spat as Foxpaw, Ren, and Ivypool got to their paws. The aura around the Dark Forest cat was stronger than ever now. "Give up now, and I'll make sure to kill you last once I take control of Nightheart."

"N-Never." Ivypool responded, letting out a cough. "I'd rather die before letting you lay a paw on my daughter!"

"You were always so stubborn when training, but you were also the strongest, Ivypool. After betraying us, I had hoped that our paths would cross once again, only this time, it'll be the last time they ever cross!" Mapleshade ran towards Ivypool, leaping towards her, claws unsheathed. She was unable to get to her paws, taking the brute of the impact as Mapleshade pushed her into the snow.

"Mother!" Foxpaw cried out, running towards where Mapleshade was.

"Foxpaw, stay back!" Ivypool commanded, but it was too late. Claws made from the dark aura slashed across Foxpaw's body, knocking him away as blood flowed from his newly inflicted wound.

"Foxpaw! Mapleshade, please stop! I'll give you my body, just please don't hurt them!" Nightheart begged for the she-cat to stop. She turned to face the black she-cat, her paw pressing Ivypool's head into the snow.

"No…you did this to them, Nightheart. You couldn't live with your own choices. You're weak, Nightheart. All the power you've been granted only to be such a fragile cat."

"L-Let me go!" Ivypool struggled under the she-cat's grasp. Her blue gaze looking at Foxpaw. "Foxpaw…I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you…"

"You might as well join him as well." Ivypool let out a gasp as sharp claws pierced her coat.

"Mother!" Nightheart cried out as she watched the same dark claws emanate from Mapleshade's body toss Ivypool towards Foxpaw. Mapleshade let out a maniacal laugh as she looked around the bloodstained clearing.

"That only leaves one cat." Mapleshade's gaze turned towards Nightheart, Ren getting to his paws and standing in front of her. "Of course, the hero who's inhabiting her mate's body." Mapleshade slowly walked towards the two.

"Ren…just let her take control of me…please…"

"Not a chance." The tom meowed. "Both Molewhisker and I won't let her lay a claw on you."

"We're going to save you, Nightheart, we made a promise." Molewhisker told her.

"A promise?" Mapleshade scoffed. "I'm afraid its one that'll have to be broken. Her weakness will be your downfall."

"You're wrong! Nightheart isn't weak!" Ren spat. "I haven't known her for long, but I've seen what you've been putting her through. She's had countless nightmares because of you, but she still manages to get up every day and live with it all."

"Ren…"

"Right. Her being haunted by what she did to those rogues isn't a sign of weakness! Nightheart's one of the strongest cats in ThunderClan, and she would always put others in front of her own well-being, just like she's been doing by asking you to control her." Molewhisker added. "If wanting to sacrifice yourself is a sign of weakness, so be it…but you'll never get to her as long as we're still standing!"

"Molewhisker…" The tom turned to look at the she-cat. "I love you…so much…"

"I do, too. Just try to find the strength you're missing, Nightheart." He pointed his tail towards her head. "Remember who gave you that tiara and what she stood for." Nightheart took her tiara off and looked at it. _Lucina's tiara. She fought for justice and to save others. I need to be as strong as her. If it can save them, I need to have the same resolve she always had! I need to accept what I've done._

"Your heartwarming speeches are only prolonging your death. Now come fight!"

"I got your back, Ren." Molewhisker meowed before he disappeared. The tom's paws were now covered in a light aura, Molewhisker's warrior prowess in combat now becoming his own. Ren charged towards Mapleshade, the tom sidestepping the incoming dark spikes sent by the aura surrounding her. Once he found an opening, he swiped his paws, claws unsheathed, towards her face. As the dark aura was about to parry the attack, it suddenly disappeared, Ren creating a deep gash on Mapleshade's cheek.

"W-What happened?" Ren watched as the dark aura around Mapleshade became weaker. Around them, the blood on the snow slowly began to disappear. He turned around and saw that it was Nightheart, a light aura now surrounding the she-cat. "You!"

"You may have created this world, Mapleshade, but you created it by invading _my _mind!" She spat. "The blood I spilled from using my Geass on those rogues will no longer haunt me again. I know that I didn't need to kill them, but if overcoming that memory means protecting the ones I care about, then I won't hesitate to find the resolve to abandon that regret!" Around them, the wounds every cat suffered by Mapleshade seemed to vanish, quickly becoming healed. "Ren, Molewhisker, let's finish this."

"Right." Ren and Nightheart charged towards Mapleshade, but the she-cat was unable to move her paws. Quickly, the two cats slashed their claws as they dashed all around her, leaving her body heavily wounded. The tortoiseshell she-cat could do nothing but take every attack the two cats were throwing at her. She panted for her breath once they both stopped. Nightheart walked up to the she-cat, her violet eyes filled with loathing.

"You'll never haunt any Clan cat ever again." Nightheart's right eye became encompassed with Geass. "Mapleshade…die!"

"No!" The Dark Forest cat cried out before Nightheart's Geass took effect. Once it did, she let out a devious laugh. "As you wish!" Claws unsheathed, Mapleshade created a huge gash along her chest, blood spilling on the snow below her as she slowly died. "You'll always be a murderer, Nightheart, nothing will change that!" Mapleshade's voice echoed out one last time before her body finally disappeared. Ren placed his tail on the she-cat's shoulder.

"You had every right to do that. She can't take control of any cat ever again." The she-cat let out a smile.

"Thank you, Ren…for what you and Molewhisker both said." She meowed. "He's still here, right?" Molewhisker appeared next to the black tom, Nightheart's violet eyes glistening. "I'm so sorry for using my Geass on you, Molewhisker. Can you forgive me?"

"I did once I regained my memory, Nightheart, you don't have to worry." He assured her. "You're going to have to wait a while before I can be with you again, though. Ren's not done being me just yet."

"I'd like to think I make a better you, anyway, Molewhisker." The black tom joked. "Seriously though, I hope we save Bramblestar soon. Just like Futaba and Swiftfrost, I think we'd be great friends."

"Yeah." Nightheart's eyes widened in shock.

"Oh StarClan, the others!" She ran over to where Foxpaw and Ivypool were, Ren checking up on Futaba and Alderheart. "Mother, Foxpaw, are you alright?"

"I think so." Foxpaw meowed.

"How about you? Are you okay, Nightheart?" Ivypool asked. Immediately, the she-cat cried into her mother's coat, Ivypool pressing her head close to hers. "It's okay. It's all over now. You did it, Nightheart."

"I'm just happy to see you both are okay! I was so scared when you both got hurt!"

"Um, hello? I'm okay too, even though I didn't technically get hurt!" Swiftfrost called out next to Futaba.

"Yeah, well you got me hurt! I don't think I want to be friends anymore, Swiftfrost!" The ginger she-cat complained.

"Right, sorry about that, Futaba. I really wanted to help Nightheart, so I thought we'd be able to fight Mapleshade together. I was totally wrong about that." The silver-and-white she-cat apologized.

"You okay, Alderheart?" Ren asked as he helped the medicine cat up.

"I think so. Thank StarClan for whatever sort of healing Nightheart was able to do when she regained control of her dream world." The ginger tom meowed. "But…we won't be so fortunate when we enter my father's dream world, will we?"

"Yeah. We were lucky enough to have Nightheart on our side at the end, but without her…I don't know if we would've been able to defeat Mapleshade. Unlike Nightheart, whoever's controlling your father will have complete control over his dream world."

"But if that's the case, can we even defeat them?" The medicine cat asked, worry in his voice.

"Spottedleaf wouldn't have brought Futaba, Makoto, and I here if that was the case. The answer might not be clear yet, but we'll find some way to gain the advantage." Ren assured him. "For now, let's get back to ThunderClan."

As the five made their way back into camp, they were approached my Squirrelflight. The sun had just begun to peek through the trees, making their sudden entrance into camp as surprising as yesterday's.

"We were looking for Lelouch." Ivypool lied. "Bramblestar said we could invite him to Foxpaw's warrior ceremony, after all."

"Right…but this early in the morning?" The deputy replied.

"We didn't want to waste any time." Foxpaw added. "I want my father to be here, Squirrelflight. If he can't, then I don't want to become a warrior yet."

"I understand completely, Foxpaw." The she-cat meowed. "I really don't know what's gotten into Bramblestar as of late. He's been lazy, and every time I try to set up patrols, he wants to push me away from it. I don't remember my father acting differently after losing one of his lives."

"W-Well maybe he'll get better, right? He's our leader, after all." Futaba stated.

"For ThunderClan's sake, I hope so." Squirrelflight seemed to gaze into the forest, but shook her head when she remembered she was still talking with the five. "S-Sorry. You five can go look for Lelouch again later. I hope you find him."

"Thank you, Squirrelflight." Ivypool dipped her head in thanks, the others doing the same. "Do you think that Squirrelflight would believe us if we told her that Bramblestar was being possessed? She can tell something's different about him."

"Maybe, but if she's with Bramblestar more often lately, then it'd be hard to speak to her without him overhearing us." Ren replied. "For now, we still keep everything to ourselves, Jayfeather, and Lionblaze." When the five entered the warriors' den, they saw that Nightheart seemed to be waiting for them. Ren quickly broke from the group and approached the she-cat, the tom immediately pressing his head onto the she-cat's shoulder.

"I love you, Nightheart…no matter what you've done." He told her, a blush forming on the she-cat's face.

"R-Ren?" The tom moved his head away from her and gave her a lick on the forehead.

"Um…that has to be all Molewhisker, right?" Futaba asked the others with a whisper. Ren noticed the embarrassment on Nightheart's face, his face now burning with embarrassment.

"Y-You're okay, right, Nightheart?"

"Yes…but are you okay, Ren?" She asked. "D-Do you actually love me?"

"T-That was Molewhisker, not me, I swear!" He assured the she-cat. "He told me he's able to transmit his emotions still in a way." Ren explained. "I'm glad you're finally free from your nightmares, though, Nightheart. That's coming from me." The she-cat let out a smile and gave the tom a kiss on both cheeks.

"One for both you and Molewhisker."

"I don't mean to ruin the moment, but what's going on here?" Twigbranch wondered.

"Yeah. Did I hear Molewhisker refer to himself as…well…himself?" Finleap meowed.

"O-Oh! Everything's fine, you two, don't worry!" Ivypool assured them.

"R-Right! I was just…" Ren struggled to think of an excuse.

"Just acting! Yeah, dad taught us about this acting stuff Twolegs do and we've been working hard at it!" Futaba quickly explained. "We called that, 'The Love Scene'. Pretty good, right?"

"I guess…but that still doesn't explain Molewhisker—."

"He's playing someone with two cats inside of him!" She added.

"That's…interesting." Twigbranch meowed. "It's really cute, too. I always love seeing how close Molewhisker and Nightheart are."

"Yeah, thanks for raising her expectations…ow!" Twigbranch gave Finleap a small shove. "Anyway, any luck on finding Lelouch? Bramblestar did say he could see Foxpaw's warrior ceremony, after all."

"Not yet…but I think we should be able to find him. He'd want to stay close to us, I'd hope." Ivypool meowed.

"I hope so. Finleap and I think what Bramblestar did was wrong. No cat should be exiled in this weather." Twigbranch stated. "He's even gotten a bit out of control with patrols, too. Finleap and I are the only other warriors here right now."

"Yeah. Usually he at least does some work, but he's just in his den all day!" The tom complained.

"Just try not to let him hear you complain. Who knows what kind of trouble you could be in." Foxpaw warned him. "Molewhisker, do you think we can go look for my father a bit more before my assessment?"

"Yeah." Ren stopped next to the others before he left the den. "We'll bring Lelouch back with us. Just get some rest." With Foxpaw behind him, the two made their way to the camp exit, but they were stopped by Bramblestar.

"Squirrelflight had just told me that you went out to find Lelouch. Any luck?" Both of them shook their head. "I see. You both must've gotten up really early if you had come back shortly after the other patrols left. Are you both heading out again?"

"I'm going to give Foxpaw his warrior assessment now."

"Really? You both aren't tired at all?"

"No, Bramblestar." Foxpaw meowed, causing the leader to smile. "That's the type of ethic I like to see. You both are ideal examples of what a warrior of ThunderClan should be like. Your Clanmates could learn from you two."

"Thank you, Bramblestar." Ren meowed. "C'mon, Foxpaw." As they were walking, Ren looked back at the tom. "So…any idea how this warrior assessment works?"

"You just leave me alone to hunt while staying hidden and watching me. There's also a fighting component, too."

"Sounds easy enough. I think this Bramblestar's keen on making you a warrior regardless, though. He was highly praising us, which is a good thing." He meowed. "We'll want to be on his good side for as long as possible. We can't let him figure out that we're on to him."

"Right. The time will come where we'll reveal the truth to everyone, but at the moment, we still can't." Ren agreed with a nod.

"Well, for now we'll just start your warrior assessment. I'll call Makoto afterwards and tell her that Lelouch can come see you get your warrior name." Foxpaw nodded and ran into the forest to begin his hunt. He didn't mind having Ren give him his warrior assessment, but it just didn't sit right with him. He had only been a cat for a couple of days, after all. _I'm Suguha's apprentice, after all. It's not fair that she misses the chance to give her first apprentice their assessment. And what about the name Bramblestar gives me? Should I accept it knowing that the cat bestowing my name isn't my leader at all?_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Makoto sat beside Lelouch near the entrance to SkyClan's camp, the two sharing a mouse with each other. Both of them really didn't eat much, so it was enough for them both. In their past days of being in SkyClan, there didn't seem to be anything odd occurring in terms of Leafstar dealing with code-breakers. She didn't seek out any in her Clan and just seemed to be performing her duties as leader normally. As she was about to take a bite of the mouse, Makoto's phone menu screen popped up, showing that Ren was calling her.

"Oh gosh, why now!?" The brown she-cat panicked as eyes around camp looked at her.

"Just go out of camp and answer it. I'll think of a lie before you get back." Lelouch assured her.

"Okay. Thanks, Lelouch!" Makoto darted out of camp so she could answer Ren's video call. When she was far enough, she answered the tom. "Sorry I didn't answer you fast enough, Ren. I was just eating and the screen just popped up."

"We really need a way to know when it's alright to call without alerting anyone." He told her.

"It's okay. Lelouch is thinking up some sort of excuse." She replied. "So, what's up?"

"We were able to use the MetaNav to save Nightheart. Apparently in this world it allows us to walk through the dreams of cats."

"Walk through dreams? I guess it's similar in a way to what we're used to." She meowed. "It's good news hearing that you saved Nightheart, though. Lelouch will be thrilled to hear it."

"You can also tell him that Foxpaw's getting his warrior name today and that he's allowed to come see it."

"That's great news! What are you doing right now, anyway?"

"Giving Foxpaw his assessment. Bramblestar made me his mentor to replace Suguha. I'm supposed to be following him, but I just wanted to call you first to keep you updated on everything, especially the MetaNav." He said. "Nothing new from Bramblestar's ghost in SkyClan?" She shook her head. "Thought so. Just let Lelouch know about Foxpaw's ceremony and that we'll pick him up afterwards. I'll call if anything new pops up."

"Got it. Bye, Ren."

"See ya'." Makoto closed the transparent screen in front of her and made her way back to camp. When she returned, camp seemed normal. No cats seemed interested in her, or where she went. Lelouch was still by the entrance, Makoto returning to her spot next to him.

"I just told them that you had a menu screen similar to Kirito, Asuna, and Suguha, but had no real powers yet."

"Well, that's sort of true." She meowed. "Oh, this is a lot of great news for you. Ren told me that he and the others were able to save Nightheart." The tom let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank God. I'll have to thank them the next time I see them."

"That should be today. Foxpaw's taking his warrior assessment right now. He said that Bramblestar's allowing you to come see him get his warrior name."

"Really? Who's giving him the assessment?"

"Ren is. I'm sure he knows what he's doing."

"This is…I'm at a loss for words, actually." It was one thing knowing that Nightheart was finally free from the nightmares tormenting her, but the fact that the cat possessing Bramblestar was actually letting Lelouch see his son's warrior naming ceremony was a gift in itself.

"Aw, you really do seem so happy." Makoto meowed, letting out a smile. "Ren said he and Foxpaw will come here after his assessment to get you."

"Great. I'll be waiting for them, then."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"Foxstripe! Foxstripe! Foxstripe!" All of ThunderClan chanted the tom's new warrior name. He looked out into the Clan, warmth filling his chest when he caught sight of his father. _For now, I'll accept my warrior name, but I think it'll be fair if I get reassessed when Bramblestar returns to his own body._ Foxstripe thought. Once his naming ceremony was over, Foxstripe walked over to where his family was, every one of them proud of him.

"I know it might be strange getting your warrior name from this Bramblestar, but you were nearing the time of your warrior assessment with Suguha, anyway." Lelouch meowed. "I'm proud of you, Foxstripe." He gave his son a lick to the ear.

"I'm sure Swiftfrost is, too, by the way. Her happiness is probably mixed in with mine." Futaba told him. "So, now your name is Foxstripe now? Hopefully I don't forget about that."

"You can always still call me 'bro', Futaba. Swiftfrost usually does, anyway." Foxstripe assured her. As other cats came to congratulate Foxstripe, Lelouch walked over to Nightheart, the she-cat letting out a smile.

"I'm so happy to see you again, Father." The she-cat said, pressing her head below Lelouch's chin.

"I can say the same for you, Nightheart." He replied. "Ren told us your nightmares are finally gone?" She nodded. "I'm glad to hear that…" Nightheart noticed her father's violet eyes glisten with tears.

"Father…"

"S-Sorry." The tom wiped his eyes with a paw. "I just…I'm sorry keeping you alive meant giving you my Geass. I felt…so powerless when it came to trying to rid you of your nightmares. Seeing how frightened you'd be at times after waking up…and not being able to do anything to help you? I—." Nightheart pressed her head into her father's shoulder.

"You don't have to apologize about anything, father. I know if you were still in ThunderClan you would've helped everyone fight Mapleshade." The she-cat told him. "All I ask is that you stay safe until Bramblestar returns to his own body. We all worry about you every day, you know?"

"Right. I worry about you all, too, especially since you're so close to Bramblestar here." He told her. The two saw Ivypool approach them and turned their attention to her.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" The silver-and-white she-cat asked.

"No, mother. It's okay."

"Good. Do you mind if I talk to your father alone, Nightheart?" The she-cat nodded, Lelouch giving her another lick to the ear before she left.

"I'm glad to see she's—."

"I thought we promised not to hide any more secrets from each other, Lelouch." The she-cat interrupted her mate. "Why didn't you tell me about what Nightheart did?" The tom stayed silent, avoiding the she-cat's blue gaze. "Lelouch!"

"What do you want me to say? When I saw what she did…I knew I couldn't tell anyone else."

"Even me?"

"Especially you!" He exclaimed. "I couldn't let you know what our daughter did because the fact that she has Geass is my fault." He averted his gaze from her own. "I didn't want to see you get scared or worried about her if I told you what happened. Her having one parent know what she did was enough." He brought his violet gaze back to her blue eyes. "I know we promised not to hide anything from each other, and I'm sorry that I broke that promise, but I wanted to protect you, Ivypool." The she-cat let out a sigh.

"Lelouch, she's _our_ daughter. Whether you gave her Geass or not shouldn't matter when it comes to problems she's facing." Ivypool meowed. "I care about her just as much as you do. Honestly, I'm madder about you hiding this from me than you knowing where Dovewing was…but I know you're not lying when you said you just wanted to protect me." She told him. "I _was_ scared when I figured out Mapleshade was causing her nightmares, but that's only because it's part of being her mother. I told Nightheart and Foxstripe the same thing when I found out he saw the dark aura around her." She explained.

"You're right. You have every right to be mad at me." The tom admitted. "I'm sorry, Ivypool." The she-cat gave the tom a lick to the cheek.

"Your heart was in the right place, Lelouch, I know that. It always is." The she-cat pressed her head onto the tom's chest and let out a loving purr.

"I don't mean to intrude…" Ivypool broke away from the tom and saw that it was Bramblestar. "…but you have to go now, Lelouch."

"Right. Sorry, Bramblestar." He apologized.

"It's alright. Actually, if you don't mind me asking: are you really staying with SkyClan?" There was no way for the tom to lie. Living in SkyClan obviously meant their Clan scent lingered in his fur.

"Yes. They took both Makoto and I in. We're working with them to find out how to deal with the code-breakers."

"I see. I'm glad to hear that you've found some sort of accommodation. However, that does mean this is the last time you'll set paw in this camp."

"What?!" Ivypool looked at the leader in shock. "You can't be serious!"

"I am. If he's living with SkyClan, he might as well be considered a SkyClan cat. He could be spying on our Clan for them."

"I would never betray the Clan that gave me a home for my entire life being here!" Lelouch retorted.

"I'd like to believe that, but I can't take any chances." He meowed. "I'll have a patrol lead you back to our border with SkyClan."

"Yes, Bramblestar." Ivypool looked at her mate, worry in her eyes. The ThunderClan leader summoned Bumblestripe and Berrynose to lead the violet-eyed tom off of their territory. Ivypool felt the ThunderClan leader's amber gaze fall on her.

"Do you want to go with him?" He asked her. "Do you value your mate over your own Clan?"

"N-No."

"Good." The leader meowed before leaving her. Ivypool lied. More than anything, she wanted to leave camp to be with Lelouch in SkyClan, but she knew that it wasn't what Lelouch would want. _I have to stay here with the others and keep an eye on Bramblestar._

Foxstripe watched as his father was escorted out of camp, his ears falling flat. He wanted this all to end soon. He wanted to live alongside his father, he wanted to see Suguha and the others again. He heard pawsteps approaching and turned to see Bramblestar.

"Foxstripe, I know it must be hard seeing your father leave, but I'm doing it for ThunderClan."

"I understand, Bramblestar." The young warrior replied.

"You do? Excellent. Now, I know seeing Lelouch leave hurts, but maybe I could help mend that pain."

"Mend it?" The leader nodded.

"Yes. As I told you and Molewhisker before, you both are prime examples of ThunderClan warriors. That's why I'd like you to be the one setting up patrols in ThunderClan for the time being." Foxstripe looked at the leader in surprise.

"M-Me? Isn't that Squirrelflight's job?"

"Not anymore. She deserves to rest, don't you think?" He asked rhetorically. "Do you think you can do it, Foxstripe?"

"Yes, Bramblestar."

"Perfect. I'll go tell Squirrelflight the news." He meowed. "I know you won't let me down, Foxstripe." The silver-and-black tom watched as the leader left. _Now what do I do? I'm one of the cats needed to stop Bramblestar, but now he's chosen to rely on me?_ Suddenly, a small, devious grin appeared on the tom's face. _No, this is perfect. Placing his trust in me will be this imposter's downfall._


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

_The cold, frigid air_ filled the hollow of the Moonpool at the medicine cat's half-moon Gathering. Today was the day Shadowpaw was going to be given his new medicine cat name. He had heard from Asuna a few days ago that his cousin, Foxstripe, had just been granted his warrior name, and he was happy to hear it. _I wonder if he's learned anything new. We're supposed to both save the Clans from StarClan's silence, after all._ He thought. Relief filled him and the other medicine cats when they had noticed the Moonpool finally becoming free from its icy prison. _Maybe today will finally be the day we speak to StarClan again._

"Shadowpaw, are you ready?" Puddleshine asked.

"I-I think so." He meowed nervously.

"Don't worry, it won't hurt or anything." His mentor joked. "Let's get started." Puddleshine guided him towards the Moonpool, while the other medicine cats fanned out around them. "I, Puddleshine of ShadowClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. Shadowpaw has done well in training to become a medicine cat, and I know he'll serve his Clan for many moons to come. Shadowpaw…" Puddleshine's light blue gaze locked onto his apprentice's amber eyes. "Do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from rivalry between Clan and Clan, and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do!" The apprentice quickly exclaimed.

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your true name as a medicine cat. Shadowpaw, from this moment you will be known as Shadowsight. StarClan honors your insight, your courage, and your kindness, and we welcome you as a full medicine cat of ShadowClan."

"Shadowsight! Shadowsight!" The other medicine cats cheered the tom's new name.

"Congratulations!" Asuna told them tom when she broke away from the others. "I'm so happy for you, Shadowsight!"

"Thank you, Asuna." The tom dipped his head in appreciation. "Oh, we should share with StarClan now!" The medicine cats all made their way to the edge of the Moonpool and dipped their nose in, breaking the calm surface. Seconds passed, but no cat seemed to be speaking with StarClan. Jayfeather was the first to draw his nose away from the Moonpool, letting out a growl.

"Still nothing." Frecklewish looked over at Shadowsight.

"Did they speak with you?" The ShadowClan medicine cat shook his head. "Not even you…but why? The Moonpool's thawed out and everything!"

"Maybe it still has something to do with the code-breakers." Willowshine suggested.

"Possibly." Puddleshine let out a sigh. "I guess we'll try again at the next half-moon gathering. If anything comes up, let us all know." The other medicine cats nodded in agreement before they began to leave the Moonpool.

"Puddleshine, Shadowsight, do you mind if I speak with Alderheart and Jayfeather? I'll catch up with you both."

"Alright. Just be safe walking back, Asuna." The she-cat nodded before walking over to where Alderheart and Jayfeather were standing.

"How's everything in ThunderClan?" The she-cat asked.

"Okay, so far. The cat controlling my father seems to be lazy, though." Alderheart stated. "He barely leaves his den, and he even made Foxstripe set up patrols instead of my mother. He keeps her in the den with him all day, too."

"Right, but Foxstripe thinks this is perfect. He's obviously against this fake Bramblestar, so getting on his good side and knowing what he could be planning is good for us." Jayfeather meowed.

"I just hope he's careful. Being on his good side is one thing, but the moment Bramblestar realizes he's been deceiving him…who knows what could happen?" Asuna meowed. "Have Ren and Futaba figured out how to access his dream world?"

"I don't think they've attempted to, yet. If it works like Nightheart, then all we need is Bramblestar to be asleep." Alderheart meowed. "But we can't let Foxstripe use his Geass on him to put him to sleep, or we'll compromise everything."

"I thought Foxstripe's Geass inflicted nightmares specifically."

"He learned that he picks what happens to the cat he uses it on." Jayfeather explained. "He can use it to just put cats to sleep, or he can use it and give them nightmares." The tom turned his blind gaze towards the entrance to the Moonpool. "We should get going now. Will you be safe walking back to ShadowClan on your own?"

"I have warrior and medicine cat training, remember?" The she-cat meowed. "I'll be okay, though, don't worry."

"I'm just happy you were able to find another Clan to take you and the others in. It definitely eases our minds, that's for sure." Alderheart told her. "Just make sure to tell us if you find out anything new in ShadowClan, Asuna."

"I'll make sure to." The three cats made their way up the path leading to the entrance to the Moonpool, Asuna walking with them both until they reached the thorn tunnel leading into ThunderClan. Before she left after saying goodbye to the two, she heard pawsteps from the thorn tunnel and saw that it was Bramblestar.

"What are you doing here?" The possessed leader asked her.

"I was just on my way back to ShadowClan from the Moonpool Gathering. I wanted to catch up with Alderheart and Jayfeather."

"Oh, so you're staying with ShadowClan now?"

"Y-Yes, Bramblestar." The cream she-cat avoided his amber gaze.

"Has Tigerstar figured out how to deal with the code-breakers?" He asked.

"I don't have to tell you that." The she-cat retorted. "Excuse me, I have to get back to ShadowClan." A growl escaped the tom's mouth as he watched the she-cat leave. Asuna let out a sigh of relief as she made her way back to ShadowClan. _How could some cat just possess Bramblestar? He sounds nothing like the leader I've gotten to know…so why can't the others in ThunderClan see it, too?_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Foxstripe worked together with Ren, Finleap, and Stormcloud to patch up any holes in the nursery. He had been assigning the dawn patrols, but Squirrelflight insisted that he let her organize any patrols after that.

"Hey, Foxstripe, can you help us over here?" Finleap called out to the tom. He and Ren were trying to collect brambles for the den, but they were struggling to pull one out. Then tom walked over to where they were, grabbing a piece of the bramble in his mouth. "Okay, pull!" The three pulled back, finally freeing the bramble and adding it to the pile. Finleap looked towards the top of Highledge and let out a sigh. "Everyone seems to be working around here except our leader."

"It's been that way for a while, hasn't it?" Ren meowed, although he knew the reason why. "We shouldn't let him hear us complain, though. There's no telling what he'll do."

"Molewhisker's right." Foxstripe agreed.

"You agree with him? Aren't you the one he let create patrols?" Stormcloud asked.

"Yeah, but I'm sure Bramblestar is just looking out for the Clan. He just wants to mend our connection with StarClan, that's all. It might mean we're given extra work, but the sooner StarClan speaks with us, the better."

"I guess you're right, but Bramblestar's just going at this all a weird way." Finleap stated. "In a way, he's making us better warriors, but I think he should be setting that example." From the leader's den, Squirrelflight walked out, making her way down Highledge to see how her Clanmates were doing.

"The camp looks amazing, everyone. I'd like two more hunting patrols, and another checking our border with SkyClan."

"Swiftfrost and I can go hunting." Nightheart volunteered.

"I can go as well, Squirrelflight." Ivypool added. "I'd be happy to check our border with SkyClan."

"What's going on?" Bramblestar asked as he descended from Highledge. "Squirrelflight, are you setting up patrols again? I thought we agreed that Foxstripe would do it."

"I know, but he's already busy helping the Clan, too."

"Then find another cat to set up patrols alongside him."

"But it's my responsibility as deputy!"

"Your responsibility is to support me, your leader, and your mate." He replied. "A well-run Clan can run itself."

"But we still should have to do some of the work." The deputy insisted. "The less work we do, the more work is left for them."

"They enjoy being warriors, don't they?" Squirrelflight's tail twitched irritably. "You better get used to it." The entrance to camp rattled, the hunting patrol Foxstripe assigned earlier returning. They dropped their prey down at the fresh-kill pile.

"Finally! I'm starving!" Cloudtail meowed, his eyes lighting up at the sight of fresh prey.

"You stay right here, Cloudtail. I'll go get you something." Nightheart told the elder. The violet-eyed she-cat began looking through the pile, wondering which piece of prey the elder would like best.

"Wait!" Bramblestar called out, causing the she-cat to look at him. "Nightheart, what are you doing?"

"Getting a piece of prey for Cloudtail." She explained.

"Not so fast. As of right now, elders must wait for their prey!" All around, cats began to look at one another. The leader's demand was clearly unexpected.

"That's not fair!" Blossomfall complained. "The warrior code states that all elders and queens are to be fed first! That's how we show our respect."

"Maybe that's the case for warriors…" Bramblestar moved Nightheart aside with his tail and picked out a thrush from the fresh-kill pile. "But it doesn't say anything about leaders."

"Are you saying that _you_ should eat before the queens and elders?" Lionblaze asked.

"Not just me." Bramblestar looked over at Squirrelflight. "You too. You're my deputy, after all."

"B-Bramblestar, I—." Squirrelflight looked around at her Clanmates. She knew what Bramblestar was doing was wrong.

"Don't worry about them. What good is giving our prey to our weakest Clanmates?" He stated. "If we're under attack, will the elders be the first to defend us?" The Clan stayed silent. "Warriors will protect the elders, and then who are the cats that lead them?"

"You are, Bramblestar." Foxstripe answered.

"Exactly! Surely you all understand why this ruling is sensible, right?"

"But we've always shown respect to elders and queens." Lionblaze told him.

"There are other ways to do that." Bramblestar retorted. "Would you rather defy me and break the warrior code?"

"What you're proposing _is_ breaking the warrior code, isn't it?" A growl resonated in the ThunderClan leader's throat.

"I'm your leader. _I_ decide what the code is!" With that, the leader picked up the thrush and motioned for Squirrelflight to follow him. Nightheart picked up two mice from the fresh-kill pile and brought it over to Cloudtail.

"Leader or not, the warrior code we've been taught to follow prioritizes whatever code Bramblestar's making." She meowed. "This one is for you, Brightheart."

"Thank you, Nightheart." The ginger-and-white she-cat meowed. "You've always been so sweet ever since you were young. Your mother and father must be so proud of you." Cloudtail agreed with a nod.

"It's a shame that Bramblestar had Lelouch exiled with the others." The white tom meowed. "I just hope whatever's going on in our leader's head gets fixed soon."

"I hope so, too." Nightheart's violet gaze looked towards the leader's den. _Whoever's controlling Bramblestar is starting to abuse his power. We need to stop him before the rules in ThunderClan get worse._ "You both enjoy your fresh-kill, okay?"

"Thank you again, Nightheart, but for your sake, just bring us whatever's left after the warriors have eaten next time. We couldn't bear to watch you get in trouble." Brightheart meowed.

"I'll take whatever punishment Bramblestar will give to me. I have to stand up for what's right." She replied walking over to speak with her brother. "You're doing good acting like Bramblestar's actions are just, Foxstripe. I know it must be hard having to do so knowing what he's doing is wrong."

"Thanks, Nightheart, but I know that what I'm doing could help save Bramblestar sooner." He told her. "You and Futaba can go out on that hunting patrol if you'd like. Ren can go with you both, too." Nightheart nodded and made her way to the warriors' den to get Futaba.

"Hey Foxstripe." The tom saw it was Lionblaze. "Do you mind if I go out on one of the hunting patrols?"

"Not at all. You can go with…" Foxstripe looked around the camp. "Spotfur and Fernsong. Family hunting would be nice."

"Sounds good to me. Thanks, Foxstripe!"

"Oh, Lionblaze?" The golden tom turned around when the young warrior called him. "Try to be careful around Bramblestar. You know that he's being possessed by someone, after all. We just can't say anything still for the time being."

"I'll try my best." The tom let out a small chuckle. "You remind me of your father, you know that? He definitely would've said the same thing if he was in your paws right now." Foxstripe let out a smile. It always was an honor to be compared to someone as amazing as his father, and by a great warrior like Lionblaze, no less. _I just hope we can be reunited with father soon. Bramblestar seems to be slowly starting his tirade in ThunderClan, and the last thing anyone needs is that escalating._

Rain began to slowly drizzle down as Foxstripe rested down inside the warriors' den. He had finished setting up patrols for the time being and was sheltering himself from the rain. He saw Lionblaze, Fernsong, and Spotfur return from their hunting patrol, the three placing their prey down on the fresh-kill pile. From the leader's den, Bramblestar leaped down and made his way towards the pile of prey. As he picked up the rabbit that Lionblaze had brought, his nose twitched.

"Where did you catch this rabbit?" He asked the three. Foxstripe left the warriors' den and walked over to them to see what was going on.

"On ThunderClan territory." Lionblaze meowed.

"Tell me the truth!" The leader retorted.

"I am!"

"No, you're not!" Bramblestar spat. "This rabbit smells like its been caught on WindClan territory!" Foxstripe looked over at the three. They were all avoiding the leader's gaze. "Was it? Answer me, Lionblaze!"

"If we did, it was an accident. The rain probably washed out their scent markers."

"So, you're telling me that WindClan just didn't mark their territory well? And what about your scent? It's probably lingering on the grass as we speak!"

"It's raining, Bramblestar. Our scent is probably gone just like their scent markers were."

"Bramblestar, can you really smell WindClan on that rabbit?" Foxstripe asked the leader.

"I saw them cross into WindClan territory." Foxstripe turned around and saw that it was Berrynose. "Bramblestar asked me to follow them."

"What?" Foxstripe looked at the tom in disbelief.

"It was just to make sure that our warriors are following the warrior code, that's all." Bramblestar told him. "And it's a good thing I did, too. As for you three…" He turned to face Lionblaze, Spotfur, and Fernsong. "For a quarter moon, no cat is to speak with Spotfur or Fernsong!" The leader announced. "As for you, Lionblaze…you are banished from ThunderClan for a quarter moon!"

"No!" Cinderheart ran forward. "Bramblestar, you can't do this! We're Clanmates! We need to protect each other! Please reconsider!" The leader shook his head.

"He's broken the warrior code and questioned my authority today. No cat of ThunderClan will try and undermine me, understand?" He turned to face Lionblaze. "You're a seasoned warrior. You should be fine out there." Foxstripe noticed the rage in the golden tom's eyes. _Don't say anything. Please, don't say anything yet._ Foxstripe hoped his thoughts somehow made it to Lionblaze. Now wasn't the time to accuse Bramblestar of being possessed.

"Yes, Bramblestar." He muttered over gritted teeth before turning towards the camp exit.

"Lionblaze, if your scent is caught on _any _Clan land, you will never return to ThunderClan. Understand?" The tom didn't reply and just continued walking, leaving camp.

"Maybe he'll go against Bramblestar's orders and join your father in SkyClan." Berrynose meowed. Foxstripe turned to face the older warrior, malice in his violet eyes.

"The next time you bring my father up, I'll kill you!" Fury coated his voice. The cream-colored tom got into a battle stance and let out a defiant growl. _There's no way he'd beat me, anyway._ Foxstripe thought before Bramblestar stood between the two.

"Leave him alone, Berrynose." The leader motioned the tom away with his tail before turning his amber gaze towards Foxstripe. "I know what I did to your father irritates you, Foxstripe, but you can't threaten your Clanmates like that."

"Sorry, Bramblestar." The tom apologized. "It won't happen again."

"Good. You need to set an example, after all." Bramblestar left the tom, Foxstripe looking up at the gray sky above him. _His leadership is starting to change cats. It's more than obvious that Berrynose is starting to try and act in favor of Bramblestar…but when will the time finally be right to expose him?_

"Foxstripe?" The tom broke away from his thoughts and turned to see that it was Honeyfur.

"Oh, hi, Honeyfur. Did you need something?"

"I was wondering if you'd like to go hunting." She offered. "You've been stuck in camp for the most part ever since Bramblestar pretty much gave you Squirrelflight's position as deputy."

"R-Right, but it's an honor that I've been given this task."

"Is that really how you feel, Foxstripe?" The she-cat asked. "I know for a fact you don't agree with how Bramblestar's been handling the camp, that's for sure."

"H-How do you know?"

"Your parents are Lelouch and Ivypool. No kit of theirs would side with Bramblestar, at least with the way he's been acting." Honeyfur said. "So…you've pretty much validated my thoughts. Why are you doing whatever he tells you?" Foxstripe didn't respond. _I know that this is partly my quest to help save the Clans, but I don't know if I can keep telling more cats the truth._ He looked over at the white she-cat. _Honeyfur came to me, after all, and she seems to know I don't agree with Bramblestar._ "Are you there?"

"S-Sorry, Honeyfur." The tom apologized. "I don't think Bramblestar will let me leave camp, though." The she-cat sighed.

"Just follow me." She led Foxstripe to a vacant area of the camp away from the leader's den and any other cats. "Secluded enough?" Honeyfur asked. "I didn't want to really hunt with you, Foxstripe. I mean, I'd like to if you want, don't get me wrong. I really just wanted to know why you're following Bramblestar's orders."

"So he can trust me." Foxstripe meowed. "You're right, I don't agree with what he's doing, but he's been entrusting me with a lot of responsibility around camp."

"All this so he can trust you? Why do you need his trust?" Foxstripe stayed silent for a moment. He still was unsure whether it was okay to tell Honeyfur what was really going on or not. _She doesn't agree with what Bramblestar's doing. Is that enough to tell her everything?_ Foxstripe let out a breath.

"it's because…"

"Foxstripe!" The tom saw that it was Ren, the tom returning from a hunting patrol.

"Hey, Molewhisker." He greeted the tom. Ren looked over at Honeyfur.

"Sorry, were you both talking?" He asked.

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it, Molewhisker." Honeyfur replied. "Hi to you too, by the way."

"R-Right, hey…"

"Honeyfur? You know, the cat you mentored?" The white she-cat meowed, annoyed that the tom seemed to forget her name. "I'll talk to you later, Foxstripe."

"Bye, Honeyfur." The tom meowed before he looked over at Ren. "Did you get any news from the others?" Ren shook his head.

"Nothing. I just wanted to meet up with you here, but I didn't mean to interrupt you and Honeyfur." The brown-and-cream tom apologized. "What were you both talking about?"

"She was wondering why I'm being so obedient to Bramblestar. She doesn't agree with how he's leading ThunderClan, so I was about to tell her the truth about everything." He explained. "Do you think it'd be okay to trust her, Ren?"

"The more help, the better. If she also thinks this Bramblestar's being unfair, that's even better for us. We might not want to take so much cats with us when we enter dreams, but having some extra paws while we're physically in camp wouldn't hurt." Ren noticed that Foxstripe still seemed hesitant about telling Honeyfur the truth. "Want to talk to Lelouch about it?"

"Can we?" The brown-and-cream tom nodded.

"Follow me." As the two made their way to the camp exit, they were stopped by Squirrelflight.

"Going out again, Molewhisker?" She asked.

"I just wanted to speak with Foxstripe alone. We won't be out long." He meowed. "Plus, Bramblestar's had him cooped up in camp for a while." The deputy sighed.

"I know how that feels. Try to make it quick, okay? If Bramblestar finds out, you might get in trouble, Molewhisker." The two dipped their heads in thanks before heading out into the forest, their paws treading through the wet grass.

"We should make this quick. Even though its not raining, I'm sure we might miss some scents still." Foxstripe suggested.

"Right. Just give me a second." Ren swiped his paw down and tapped on the menu screen a few times to start a video call with Makoto. In a few seconds, a brown she-cat appeared on the screen in front of them. "Did we catch you at a bad time?"

"Kinda. I was on a border patrol with Lelouch, Blossomheart, Dewspring, and Rootpaw." She explained. "I'm really starting to wish this thing had a 'Do Not Disturb' feature." Ren let out a small chuckle. "Oh, I should tell you both that we saw Ivypool, Twigbranch, Nightheart, and Futaba earlier. Seeing Lelouch really made them happy."

"Speaking of Lelouch; Foxstripe needs to talk to him. You mind getting him?"

"Sure. I'll just hang up for now and call back when I get him." Makoto ended the video call and the two toms waited a bit until Ren received a video call from her. When the screen opened, they saw that Lelouch was now with them.

"Foxstripe, are you doing okay?" The violet-eyed tom asked his son.

"I'm fine, father…but something happened in ThunderClan." He meowed. "Bramblestar exiled Lionblaze from camp for a quarter-moon."

"What? Did anyone question him?" He asked.

"Only Cinderheart." Foxstripe replied. "I think we need to start figuring out how to stop him now. If he's already exiling Clanmates, who knows what else he can do?"

"Right…but I don't think we're able to do anything still." Lelouch told him. "This whole thing still sounds hard to believe to most cats. As much as I'd like to rush to stop Bramblestar, we need to be cautious about this whole thing."

"Lelouch's right. The last thing we want is more cats getting hurt." Makoto added. "I know Lionblaze getting exiled still means a cat is being harmed, but it could be worse if we act too rashly." Foxstripe gave them a nod of understanding.

"Didn't you want to tell your dad about Honeyfur?"

"What about her?" Lelouch asked before his violet eyes widened. "Foxstripe, now's not really the time to think about having a mate. Maybe after—."

"T-This isn't about anything like that, father! I don't even think she likes me that way!" Foxstripe stammered. "She walked up to me after Bramblestar exiled Lionblaze and she knew that I didn't agree with what Bramblestar was doing. She doesn't agree with his actions at all, either." He explained. "I was wondering if it would be okay for me to tell her about everything that's going on."

"I don't think it's a bad idea to do so as long as you make sure she doesn't tell anyone." Lelouch meowed. "It'll probably be easier for her to believe since she already is against Bramblestar."

"Right. Thank you, father."

"You're welcome." Lelouch meowed. "Foxstripe, one more thing." The silver-and-black tabby looked at his father. "You're a hero to the Clans this time around. I'll always give you advice, no matter what, but have courage in your convictions. There will be a time where I can't give you my opinion, after all."

"Y-Yes, father." Lelouch's ears fell flat when he realized his last statement seemed to worry his son.

"Is there anything else you needed to tell us?" Makoto asked.

"That's it. Right, Foxstripe?" He nodded. "Great. We'll let you two get back to your border patrol. See ya'." After Ren ended the call, he looked over at Foxstripe. "What's up?"

"It's what my father told me. He's the smartest cat that I know…but I don't know what I'll do when he's gone. I know he still has many moons left to go, but when he brought it up…I felt scared."

"Hey, it's normal to feel like that. He's your father, after all." He meowed. "C'mon, let's get back to camp so you can tell Honeyfur the truth."

When they returned to camp, Foxstripe found Honeyfur and pulled her to a vacant area of camp to talk to her. _She has to believe me, right?_ Foxstripe hoped.

"Is this about what we were talking about earlier?" The yellow-splotched white she-cat asked. He nodded.

"I was relieved when Molewhisker came and interrupted our talk because I wasn't sure if it was alright to tell you, but I know that you deserve to know the truth and I could use your help in the future." He let out a breath. "The truth is that the Bramblestar leading ThunderClan isn't the one that we've gotten to know all these moons."

"What? Foxstripe, what do you mean?"

"Bramblestar is being possessed by some unknown cat. All the things we've seen Bramblestar do lately are things the Bramblestar we know would never do at all." He explained. "Would he ever lazily rest in his den all day, or enforce the warrior code so strongly that he'd exile an amazing warrior like Lionblaze?"

"No, but…none of this makes sense!"

"I know, but the least I can do is ask that you believe me, Honeyfur. I'm telling you all of this because I believe that I can trust you." Foxstripe stated. "When we talked earlier, you made it more than obvious that you're against everything Bramblestar's been doing. If I want to stop him, I need all the help I can get." Honeyfur's green gaze touched Foxstripe's violet eyes momentarily before she nodded.

"I believe you, Foxstripe. I know you wouldn't lie about something like this." She looked over at the leader's den. "Still…how did all of this even happen? And how do you know about all of this?"

"Because I was granted the power of Geass just like my sister and father." Honeyfur watched as Foxstripe's right eye became encompassed with Geass. "The secondary effect that it has is that when it's activated, I can see shadows around cats who have darkness inside of them, or are facing some sort of internal struggle." He reverted his right eye back to normal. "In Bramblestar's case, I didn't know it was true until I spoke with C.C. about it. She's the one who gave me my Geass."

"I'm surprised, to say the least. I've never heard any cat talking about your Geass at all. You must've done a pretty good job in keeping it a secret." She meowed. "So, the darkness you see around Bramblestar tells you that he's possessed?"

"Well, not exactly. Swiftfrost helped me think of that and my father agreed with her. It was at the Gathering when he first brought up the code-breakers. We thought that it was completely out of character for Bramblestar to do such a thing." He stated. "Also, before the Gathering was when he was brought back to us from StarClan…or at least, that's what he wants us to think."

"What do you mean?"

"When he was brought back, the darkness around him was stronger than ever. We think that he got possessed by whoever's in his body right now during his acceptance of his next life."

"Can that really happen?"

"Trust me, I was as shocked as you when I learned that he was possessed, but not all cats that have someone controlling their body are bad."

"There's more?"

"Molewhisker's one of them." Foxstripe motioned for the tom to come over with his tail. "Honeyfur, this is Ren. He was brought to this world in Molewhisker's body to help the Clans. His friend, Futaba, is in my sister's body."

"That explains why he forgot my name earlier." She meowed.

"Sorry about that, Honeyfur. I've been here for a while and I still can't remember every cat's name at times." Ren apologized.

"Don't worry about it." She assured him. "So, why were he and Futaba not brought here as themselves?"

"Do you remember Makoto? The red-eyed she-cat that we brought into camp?" Honeyfur nodded. "She's friends with Ren and Futaba. You saw what this Bramblestar did to her and the others not from this world. With Ren and Futaba disguised as ThunderClan cats, we at least have some more cats who can monitor Bramblestar."

"Wow, this all actually seemed well thought out by whoever brought them here." The she-cat meowed. "So, how do we get our Bramblestar back?"

"We haven't figured that out yet." Ren stated. "All we know is that Bramblestar's spirit is in SkyClan territory. Rootpaw's able to see his spirit, but no other cat can."

"That's probably because he's Tree's son. If Foxstripe can have Geass like his father, maybe Tree's ability to see dead cats was passed down to him." Honeyfur meowed. "I guess that means our Bramblestar is technically 'dead' for the time being." The she-cat was still in disbelief about everything that was actually going on within her Clan. "Anything else I need to know?"

"That should be it. I know I probably don't need to tell you this, but please just keep all of this between us and the other cats who know about it." Foxstripe meowed.

"Who else knows what's going on?"

"My mother, sisters, Lionblaze, Alderheart and Jayfeather all know."

"Oh…well thanks for trusting me with this, Foxstripe. All of them are special cats, after all." The she-cat meowed.

"I'm glad to have been able to share this with you, Honeyfur. I know there are others who also disagree with what Bramblestar is doing, but you seemed the most concerned when you walked up to me earlier."

"Well, I was really just worried about you, to be honest." She told him, causing the fur on his face to grow hot. "Like I said earlier, you're Lelouch and Ivypool's son. I couldn't see you following Bramblestar as being something you'd do."

"Should I just leave you both alone for a bit?" Ren asked slyly, causing the two to blush.

"I-I didn't mean any of that in a flirtatious way!" Honeyfur quickly stammered.

"D-Don't worry, I know." Foxstripe assured her. _Although we don't know how to stop Bramblestar, having Honeyfur join our group is great. The more cats we can find to join us, the better._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Asuna gently applied a poultice to Kirito's injured tail, the tom still in the medicine cat's den after the incident with the fallen tree branch. Earlier, Antfur left to go on a hunting patrol, despite her and Shadowsight worrying.

"I think he should've stayed here in the medicine cat's den. He's not fully recovered yet at all." Asuna meowed.

"He has other cats with him. I'm sure he'll be okay." Kirito assured her. "Any idea when I'll be cleared to leave? I didn't think hurting my tail would keep me in here this long."

"Well, you need your tail to keep balance. It also helps with hunting as well." Puddleshine informed the black tom.

"Really? I've been taking this thing for granted this entire time." Kirito replied, looking back at his tail.

"Well it's not like you can't live without it, either. You remember what happened with Finleap when he was an apprentice." Asuna remined him.

"Right. Still, I don't think I want to lose my tail any time soon." He meowed. Kirito looked over at Shadowsight, the tom's eyes filled with worry. "Shadowsight, you okay?"

"Not really. I still don't think letting Antfur leave was a good idea. Yes, he has Clanmates with him, but I'd rather him be safe in here." He meowed. "I know he kept on insisting, but we should've tried to persuade him to stay."

"I don't think we could've said anything to keep him in the medicine cat's den, Shadowsight. We all could see how much he hated being cooped up in here." Asuna replied. "We just have to hope that he'll be safe." From outside the medicine cat's den, they heard pawsteps approaching outside of camp. Each of them knew it was too soon for the hunting patrol to return. The medicine cats left the end and watched in horror as Blazefire and Gullswoop were dragging the body of a dark brown cat behind them.

"Antfur!" From outside the warriors' den, Cinnamontail ran over to the patrol, worry filling her eyes as she looked at the tom's lifeless body. "How did this happen?"

"He went to chase a squirrel up a tree. When he was at the top, he got dizzy and fell. We told him to stay close, but…"

"There was nothing we could've done." Gullswoop added. Moving around the crowd, Asuna noticed Lightleap helping Suguha towards the medicine cat's den. Concerned, she broke the distance between them.

"Is Suguha okay?"

"She's just traumatized, that's all." Lightleap meowed.

"It's not just that…" Suguha murmured. "I could've saved him. If I was Leafa, I could've shielded him. If only I was smart enough to realize that Antfur could need protection…" Asuna placed her tail on Suguha's shoulder.

"None of this is your fault, Suguha." Asuna assured her "It takes a few seconds to cast your Butterfly Shield spell. Don't blame any of this on you." She sighed. "If anything, it's partially my fault. We should've kept Antfur in the medicine cat's den until he fully recovered." The cream she-cat was surprised. "I'll give you some poppy seeds to ease your mind." She looked over at Lightleap. "Thank you for helping her over here, Lightleap." The two she-cats entered the medicine cat's den, Kirito looking at the two with worry when he saw Suguha. "Rest next to Kirito."

"Okay…" Kirito moved over to make room for his cousin. When she was rested, he pressed close to comfort her.

"You okay, Sugu?" He asked. "What happened?"

"She saw Antfur fall from the tree. She thinks she could've saved him if she had shielded him."

"I don't think you would've been fast enough. The chant for it takes a second or two, after all."

"That's what Asuna told me." The black she-cat meowed. "Maybe it's just because I wish I could've done something to save him."

"That's definitely it." Her cousin meowed. "You'll feel better, Suguha. Just get some rest." Asuna let out a small smile before leaving the den to see Shadowsight. She knew that he had to be feeling probably worse than Suguha was at the moment. As she was leaving the den, she bumped into Shadowsight.

"S-Sorry, Asuna." He apologized. "Excuse me."

"Wait." Asuna reentered the den with the tom. "I was going to check on you to see how you were doing."

"What do you think?" He asked. "It's our fault Antfur's dead. I know he didn't want to stay here, but we should've done more to keep him in the den." He walked over to his bedding and rested down. Asuna knew there was nothing else she could say. She remembered how much dread filled her when a cat had died under her care. _Death is part of being a medicine cat. We can't save every cat, but in Antfur's case…we definitely could have._


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

_Makoto watched as Rootpaw _and Dewspring returned to camp from their training. From what she saw, Rootpaw seemed saddened, which was usually the case as of late. _Poor Rootpaw. All this stuff about Bramblestar's ghost has him distracted from his training. I wish we could just explain what was going on to every cat, but I doubt many of them would believe us._ _We need to do something…but what? We have no idea what our next plan of action should be._

"Is something wrong, Makoto?" The brown she-cat saw that it was Blossomheart.

"I'm okay, Blossomheart. Just worried about Rootpaw, that's all."

"Is Lelouch worried about him, too?" She wondered. "You both have seemed attached to him ever since you started staying here. Do you know something about him?"

"It's nothing like that. It's…a bit hard to explain." Makoto replied, hoping that the she-cat wouldn't press more about the situation. "Sorry if I'm sounding too vague, Blossomheart."

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure whatever it is about Rootpaw that has you interested must be a good thing." She responded. "Oh, if you're not busy later, I'd love for you to join me on a patrol with some of the others."

"I'd be glad to. Thank you for inviting me." The red-eyed she-cat meowed with a smile before Blossomheart left. She turned her attention back to the leader's den and saw Rootpaw, Dewspring, and Leafstar exit the den. The apprentice made his way over to her, his ears flat. "Is everything okay, Rootpaw?"

"Not really." He sighed. "I can't stay concentrated when I see Bramblestar everywhere I look. I'm supposed to be getting my warrior name soon, but I can't at this rate. Dewspring and Leafstar both think I need to train harder, and I want to, but there's so much on my mind."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's not your fault, Makoto. I think my concentration was at its worse this time because Bramblestar wanted me to do something that could get me in serious trouble."

"What does he want you to do?"

"The other day, he asked me to send a message to Squirrelflight saying that the Bramblestar in ThunderClan is an impostor. There's no way I can do something like that without getting in some sort of trouble." He told the she-cat.

"This could be the step we need to get closer to stopping him, though." Makoto stated. "Maybe I could ask Ren or one of the others in ThunderClan to tell her?" Rootpaw let out a sigh of relief.

"Why couldn't I think about that earlier during my training? That makes things much easier, Makoto." The she-cat let out a smile.

"Glad I can help." She swiped a paw down to open the MetaNav and swiped to the right revealing her video chatting feature. "What do you want them to tell her?"

"That Bramblestar says he has no idea who the cat in his body is."

"Got it."

"Wait!" Before Makoto could do anything, she stopped and looked at Rootpaw. "I was wondering if…I could tell my dad about everything that's been happening. He knows about talking to spirits more than any cat. I think he'd be someone who could help us in the future."

"I think that would be a good idea. We could use some more cats in SkyClan to help us when the time comes." She said. "Would you like to tell him before we tell the others?" The young tom nodded. Tree was just nearby eating a mouse, the yellow tom watching the two for the most part. They approached him together, Tree now pushing his mouse aside before they were in front of him.

"Is something going on here? Will I finally know why you and Lelouch are interested in Rootpaw, Makoto?" He asked.

"It's been more than obvious, hasn't it?" The she-cat asked rhetorically.

"I-It's more of my secret that I told them when they arrived here." Rootpaw meowed.

"I see. Do you want me to get Violetshine?"

"Mother won't be much help with this one." The tom told his father. "Can we go outside of camp to talk about this?"

"This must really be some secret, huh?" Tree meowed. The tom got up and took the lead, crossing through the ferns at the SkyClan camp entrance, Makoto and Rootpaw trailing behind him. They walked for a few more seconds until Tree finally turned around. "Is this far enough?" His son nodded. "So, what's this secret that you've been hiding."

"Well…a bit before Lelouch and Makoto came to SkyClan, I started seeing Bramblestar's ghost. I've been seeing him around our territory almost every day, and he's been asking me for help. I was relieved when Lelouch and Makoto came here because they know that Bramblestar's ghost is here because some evil cat is in his body in ThunderClan." Tree looked over at Makoto, the she-cat nodding.

"He's telling the truth. My other friends and I were sent here to save the Clans from whoever's controlling Bramblestar." She told him.

"This is…strange, and that's coming from me." Tree meowed. "All the cats I've seen are ones that have died, but you're saying that Bramblestar's ghost has been following you?" Rootpaw nodded. "This would explain why Bramblestar's been acting strange lately." He turned his gaze towards Makoto. "Do you and your friends know how to stop this fake Bramblestar?"

"Yes. We've found out that we're able to enter the dreams of cats. If we can enter Bramblestar's dreams and fight the evil cat controlling him, we might be able to stop him."

"I see. And are you sure that this'll work?" Tree asked, Makoto shaking her head.

"We've only been able to test this theory with Nightheart. She was being haunted by nightmares, but now they're gone."

"That makes sense, but in this case it's a whole different cat in control of Bramblestar, not just him having some sort of nightmare." The yellow tom stated.

"That is true…" Makoto sat in thought. _Technically the darkness inside of Nightheart was another cat entirely, but if Bramblestar isn't even in his own body to begin with, will fighting the imposter in his dreams actually do anything?_ "The least we can do is hope that Ren, Futaba, and the others can try to fight him."

"Your other friends, I assume?" The she-cat nodded. "Well, as long as they don't get hurt." Tree meowed.

"Right, which is why we're still doing something in our world if they can't do anything in his dream world." Rootpaw meowed.

"Which is?"

"We're going to send a message to Ren from Bramblestar telling him to tell Squirrelflight that the Bramblestar in ThunderClan isn't him." The red-eyed she-cat meowed.

"That could be dangerous. What if she doesn't believe him and tells Bramblestar? Obviously that'll leave a huge target on his back."

"We have to try. It'll be much safer than having Rootpaw go and tell Squirrelflight himself."

"Or, what if we have you tell them, dad?" Rootpaw told his father. "You are Clan mediator, after all."

"Right, but if I were to do that, it'd look like I'm trying to start trouble and give SkyClan a bad reputation." He meowed. "It looks like we'll have to ask your friend to tell her, Makoto. Unless Lelouch can think of something better."

"Let's go talk with him. He should be back from his hunting patrol already."

When the two returned to camp, they saw the violet-eyed tom sharing a piece of prey with Needlepaw. When they saw the three, Needlepaw looked at them with a smile.

"Hi dad! Lelouch was just telling me some stories!"

"What kind?" Her father asked.

"Just little ones about Swiftfrost when she was younger. She reminds me of her." Lelouch meowed. "Actually, I needed to talk to you three. Can I leave the rabbit with you here, Needlepaw?"

"I'll keep it safe, Lelouch!" The four cats moved to a vacant area of camp, Lelouch looking at the three.

"What did you need to talk to me about?" He asked them. "Can I assume Tree knows about our problem with Bramblestar now?"

"There's a reason you're known to be one of the smartest cats in the Clans." Tree said with a chuckle. "On a more serious note, Rootpaw says that he needs to send a message to Squirrelflight telling her that the Bramblestar in ThunderClan is an imposter."

"At first, Bramblestar suggested that he go tell her himself, but I thought about telling Ren instead."

"Right, but if Squirrelflight tells Bramblestar about what Ren told her, he'll be in trouble." Lelouch told them.

"Which is what my dad thought of, too." Rootpaw meowed. "We were going to go with telling Ren, but we wanted your input in case you had a better idea." Lelouch stood in silence for a while, but shook his head.

"To ease any trouble, telling Ren to deliver the message would be our best bet." He stated. "We don't want to get any other Clans involved yet because it'll just give Bramblestar a reason to divide us even more. Makoto, do you think he'll be up for it?"

"I'm positive. I'm sure he wants to do anything to get us closer to saving the Clans."

"Great. Let's send him the message."

/\/\/\

"That was a great catch, Ren." Nightheart praised the tom as he picked up his freshly-killed mouse. "That makes four pieces of prey in total. Hopefully it'll be enough to please Bramblestar."

"It's better than bringing nothing. I think he'll like this mouse enough to not complain." He replied. "Nightheart, Mapleshade isn't bothering you anymore, right?"

"Yes. Thank StarClan she isn't." She meowed. "Do I seem bothered by something, Ren?" The brown-and-cream tom shook his head.

"I just wanted to make sure, that's all."

"Is that Molewhisker or you talking?" The black she-cat let out a small giggle.

"Ren." The tom meowed. "Sorry if I sounded worried, it was a dumb thing to ask." Nightheart shook her head.

"It was sweet, if anything, Ren. Thank you for being concerned about me." The violet-eyed she-cat assured him. "I've really been fine lately. I'm content with just having to worry about Bramblestar than having to worry about him and Mapleshade."

"I'm sure Molewhisker agrees, too." The tom said with a laugh. In front of him, a transparent screen appeared, telling him that Makoto was trying to call. "At least we're out hunting." He answered the she-cat's video call, the screen now growing wider as the call began to connect. In a few seconds, Makoto appeared on the screen in front of them. "You got better at timing your calls."

"Thank goodness. I was worried you might be in camp." She stated. "Oh, hi, Nightheart."

"Hi, Makoto. How's everything in SkyClan?" The violet-eyed she-cat asked.

"Great. No trouble here yet." Makoto replied. "Oh, here, let me move a bit…" Makoto moved to reveal that Lelouch, Tree, and Rootpaw were with her.

"Father!" Nightheart smiled at the sight of the tom. "Rootpaw and Tree too. Hello!"

"Wait, so we're actually speaking to Nightheart and Molewhisker from here?" Tree meowed. "Do cats from different worlds all have strange powers?"

"Geass and Noctis' powers are much stranger than a video call, believe me." Lelouch told the tom. "Is everything alright, Nightheart? How are you doing? How's Ivypool and your brother and sister?"

"We're all okay. Foxstripe is still sticking to Bramblestar's good side. Oh, and Honeyfur now knows about everything going on."

"The more help, the better." He replied.

"So, what's going on?" Ren asked.

"Right. We need you to tell Squirrelflight something, Ren." Makoto meowed. "You need to tell her that the Bramblestar inside of ThunderClan isn't the real one."

"Got it…but are you sure about this? It's more likely that she won't believe me at all."

"We know, but we have to try. Can you do that for us Ren? Please?" Rootpaw asked.

"Yeah. I'll tell her when we get back to camp." The tom meowed.

"Great. Be safe, Ren." With that last message, Makoto ended the call. Nightheart looked over at the tom, the she-cat unsure of their given task.

"We have to tell Squirrelflight that the cat controlling Bramblestar isn't her mate? Isn't this dangerous?"

"Yeah. It's a low chance that she'll believe us, but as deputy, getting her on our side would be great."

"I understand, but if she tells Bramblestar…who knows what he might do to you, Ren."

"This whole thing about saving Bramblestar was going to get risky eventually. This'll just be one of the first of many times." The tom replied. "I'll be fine, don't worry about it." The she-cat nodded, but Ren could tell she was still uneasy about the whole scenario, but he couldn't blame her. If Squirrelflight were to tell Bramblestar, their whole mission could possibly be compromised, but at the same time, having Squirrelflight on their side would bring them a bit closer to stopping Bramblestar. "Let's get back to camp so I can talk with her."

When the two cats returned to ThunderClan, they dropped their prey off at the fresh-kill pile. Ren looked around for Squirrelflight and saw her near Highledge.

"Good luck, Ren." Nightheart meowed before she left the tom. Ren looked around now for Bramblestar. The last thing he needed was for him to hear any of his conversation with the deputy. There was no sign of the leader. He saw Foxstripe near the camp entrance and padded over to him.

"Ren, did you need something?"

"Do you know where Bramblestar is right now?"

"He went to the dirtplace. Why?"

"I need to talk with Squirrelflight without him hearing anything. I'll explain later." He quickly meowed before walking over to Highledge. Squirrelflight looked up at the tom when she heard his pawsteps approaching her.

"Molewhisker, can I help you?"

"I just wanted to come and tell you about a message that I've received." The deputy tilted her head in confusion.

"From who?"

"From Bramblestar's ghost." He began. "He wanted me to tell you 'I don't know who that is in my body, but it's not me'."

"And you said Bramblestar's ghost told you this? In a dream, I'm assuming?" Ren nodded. The deputy scoffed. "What nonsense. You must've eaten a bad piece of prey to think of something as delusional as that." The tom's ears fell flat. "At least you were smart enough to not say anything while Bramblestar was around. You might've ended up like Lionblaze." _Lionblaze…that's it!_

"But Squirrelflight, I know what I dreamt. Bramblestar would never do something like exile Lionblaze, you know that! Something is off about him!"

"Molewhisker, I've had enough of this conversation. You can believe it all you want, but don't go spreading it around ThunderClan." Ren let out a sigh.

"Yes, Squirrelflight." _The only good thing seems to be that she doesn't seem keen on telling Bramblestar what I told her. I definitely dodged a bullet there…but now what? If we try and fight him, we'll expose the truth about us, and it's too soon for that. We need to be patient…but for how much longer?_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Asuna, Shadowsight, and Puddleshine made their way down the stony path leading to the Moonpool. It had been three days ever since Antfur had died, and as those days passed, Asuna noticed that Shadowsight seemed more off about something. She hadn't brought it up at all with Puddleshine because he didn't want to worry the medicine cat, or the Clan as a whole.

"There you three are." Jayfeather meowed when he caught scent of the cats from ShadowClan.

"I hope we didn't keep you all waiting too long." Puddleshine apologized. "Let's go share with StarClan now."

"Do we even think that they'll share with us?" Frecklewish wondered. "I don't mean to sound harsh, but I'm expecting silence again tonight."

"Well, we won't know unless we try, right?" Alderheart replied. The other medicine cats agreed and inched closer to the Moonpool. Before they could touch the water's surface, Shadowsight broke away from the group.

"I think I know why StarClan's not speaking with us!" With every cat's attention on the medicine cat, Shadowsight began. "A few moons ago when we were here, a voice spoke to me. It said that the Clans had forgotten about the code. The code has been broken time and time again, and because of the codebreakers, every Clan must pay the price."

"Suffer? Did StarClan really tell you that, Shadowsight?" Asuna asked. "That doesn't sound like something they'd say."

"Right, but they aren't the type of cats to abandon us, either." Kestrelflight replied. "Is that all they told you, Shadowsight?" The ShadowClan medicine cat shook his head.

"They showed me visions of the codebreakers, too. I saw Crowfeather, Squirrelflight, Jayfeather—."

"Me? Why?" The blind medicine cat wondered.

"I don't know. I also saw Lionblaze, Twigbranch, Mothwing, and…my mother, too." Puddleshine looked at the tom, anger in his eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I-I couldn't. My father wanted me to keep it a secret to protect my mother and the other cats."

"Well there's something he's done right. Bramblestar's been calling for punishment to any cat who breaks the warrior code." Jayfeather stated.

"But…maybe he's right. There have been a lot of injuries in ShadowClan recently, so maybe if the codebreakers atone for what they've done everything will be better."

"There's no way that can be right." Asuna meowed, her hazel eyes looking at the others. "Would StarClan ever purposefully hurt Clan cats for the sake to prove a point?"

"We really don't know what StarClan is doing to us at this point, anyway." Willowshine replied. "Whatever's going on has to have some sort of cause, and Shadowsight's the only link we apparently have to them."

"Still…there are some issues here." Kestrelflight meowed. "Like Dovewing being listed. Tigerstar's responsible for breaking the warrior code as much as she is, so why isn't he one of the codebreakers, too?"

"The same goes for my brother and I." Jayfeather meowed. "Is StarClan really going to punish us for what our parents did?"

"We have to obey whatever StarClan has said." Frecklewish said, causing the tom to scoff.

"That's easy for you to say; no SkyClan cats were named at all!"

"Regardless of if SkyClan was mentioned or not, the timing of this is all strange. Why punish every codebreaker now instead of before when they made their mistake?" Alderheart wondered.

"No cat can say for sure…but we need to act now!" Shadowsight responded. "We need to tell our Clans about this vision."

"That's a definite 'no'. Can you imagine what Bramblestar would do knowing the names of the codebreakers?" The blind medicine cat said.

"Maybe you won't, but the rest of us should." Kestrelflight looked at the other medicine cats. "The sooner we get this all fixed, the better."

"So that's it then? We'll go tell our leaders about the codebreaker vision Shadowsight had?" Frecklewish said, most of the other medicine cats nodding. "Very well. The next time we see each other should be the next Gathering." One by one, the medicine cats began to leave the Moonpool.

"Asuna?" Shadowsight called out to the cream she-cat. "Are you coming?"

"You and Puddleshine go on ahead. I'd like to speak with Alderheart and Jayfeather." The tom nodded, leaving the three cats alone beside the Moonpool.

"So, now it looks like Bramblestar will get exactly what he wants." Jayfeather said. "I know I said we wouldn't tell Bramblestar, but maybe we'll have to, especially since my name's listed. Holding this away from him would make whatever punishment he's going to give me worse than it would originally be."

"I just hope you both will be okay after he finds out. I'm already worried about every cat in ThunderClan as is." Asuna meowed. "We haven't found out anything in ShadowClan yet."

"But maybe you will soon." Alderheart said, his voice filled with confidence.

"Do you think so?"

"I _know_ so." The dark ginger tom replied. "I don't think StarClan's the one sending Shadowsight those messages at all. Whoever's sending him those visions has to be linked with the cat who's controlling my father."

"That makes sense. He obviously can't just go out blindly accusing cats, so he'd need some way to justifiably blame them, which is where Shadowsight's list of cats comes in." Jayfeather added. "That might also be why he punished Lionblaze, the fox-heart."

"Still, we have no idea about the main issue: who these cats could be that want to destroy the Clans." Asuna stated. "Could it be cats from the Dark Forest?"

"That's a possibility, but we've never heard of a cat being able to control another cat's body before. Our enemy could be someone completely new." Alderheart replied. "Let's just get back to camp now. I'm sure everything will become clearer slowly."

"If only 'slowly' could be 'quickly'. I was fine dealing with land disputes and rogues, but I'm not fine with cats possessing our leader and some group possibly masquerading as StarClan."

"I think we all feel that way. This is definitely much darker than what we've dealt with in the past." Asuna agreed. "Just promise me that you'll both be safe." She gave the toms a quick lick to the ear. "I should catch up with Puddleshine and Shadowsight. I'll see you both at the next Gathering." Asuna climbed up the stony path and left the Moonpool, following the ShadowClan medicine cats' scent trail. _I can't let anything bad happen to any of those cats Shadowsight listed. I need to make sure to tell Kirito and Suguha that we need to watch over Dovewing as much as we can._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The frigid night air blew across Foxstripe's fur as he and his Clanmates sat down on the island, Bramblestar calling for an emergency Gathering a day after the medicine cats' meeting at the Moonpool. Now was the time the imposter's plan would progress. He had a list of codebreakers now at his disposal. Foxstripe could only hope that the other leaders stayed vigilant.

"Let this meeting begin!" Bramblestar's voice echoed across the island. "I'm sure you've all heard by now about the vision Shadowsight was given regarding the codebreakers. Now that we have a list of them, they all must atone for what they've done!"

"Atone? What do you mean by that?" Tigerstar asked.

"That the codebreakers must be punished, of course!" He retorted. "StarClan won't return to us unless they atone for breaking the warrior code!"

"Are you sure about this? They said all the Clans must suffer, so maybe we must do so together other than pinning it only on the codebreakers." Squirrelflight suggested.

"We've been given the names of the codebreakers!" Bramblestar spat. "Why else would they be given to us?" He gazed across the island. "We must decide how they are punished.

"_We?_ The only one who wants to punish them so badly is you! It's always been you since the beginning!" Tigerstar growled.

"I've only been following the will of StarClan! Is there anything wrong with that?" He asked. "Actually, we've already been doing so lately. You all may notice that Lionblaze isn't with us at the moment. For breaking the warrior code, I've sentenced him to exile! I'm sure this will be the first right step of many to appease StarClan." He told them. "Now, does anybody have any other suggestions on what we should do to the codebreakers?" Bramblestar looked back at the other leaders. "Nothing?"

"Well, how can we be so sure that this is what StarClan wants?" Mistystar asked.

"Of course! Shadowsight can speak to StarClan, can't he? Or is your son lying, Tigerstar?"

"He'd never lie about something as serious as this!" The ShadowClan leader responded.

"There. Now, are you going to deny a medicine cat's vision given to him by StarClan?"

"No…" The RiverClan leader averted her gaze. "I'd just like to be sure what we're doing is acceptable."

"They've broken the warrior code. What's the point of having one if we don't enforce it?" He responded. "Again, does any cat have an idea of a fitting punishment for these codebreakers?" The group of cats fell silent, the howling wind easily being heard as no cat spoke.

"We should think about this first before doing anything." Lelouch spoke. _Whatever we can do to stop anyone from being punished._

"Yeah. Every Clan should talk it over." Kirito added. _We'll need as much time as we can to stall this out._

"Your former Clanmates are right, Bramblestar." Mistystar stated. "This is a serious step we're all going to take. We should talk about it more first. This Gathering has come to an end." Bramblestar let out an annoyed growl as he looked out in the crowd for any sign of the two cats who halted the progress on the codebreakers' punishment.

As the cats began to talk amongst each other, Foxstripe looked over to where the medicine cats were and saw Shadowsight. He wanted to speak with him again. He waited at the base of the tree for them to come down, but saw Squirrelflight quickly descend the tree and head towards him.

"Foxstripe, where's Molewhisker?" The deputy asked.

"He should be with the other ThunderClan—." The she-cat didn't let him finish and pushed her way through the crowd of cats. _What was that about?_ He wondered as he watched the medicine cats descend from the tree. He saw Asuna, Puddleshine, and Shadowsight make their way towards the other ShadowClan cats and ran after them. "Shadowsight!" He called out to his cousin. The three cats turned around once he got their attention.

"Hi Foxstripe. How are you?" Asuna greeted the tom.

"I'm okay. Can I speak with Shadowsight quick?" He asked.

"We'll be with the rest of ShadowClan." Puddleshine meowed before he and Asuna left them alone.

"What did you want to talk about?" Shadowsight asked the tom.

"It's about your vision." Foxstripe began. "Do you…really think what you've been hearing was from StarClan?" The medicine cat let out an irritated growl.

"You too? You're like everyone else!"

"W-What?"

"No cat thinks I can be sharing with StarClan. I know I'm the least experienced medicine cat, but I'm just doing what I can to protect everyone!" He spat. "I thought we were going to save the Clans together, Foxstripe."

"That's what I'm trying to do! Can't you see that the talk of punishing codebreakers is wrong? Your own mother is one of the codebreakers, too! Do you not feel any regret about this at all?" The silver-and-black tabby asked. "I'm just trying to help you, Shadowsight."

"I just…I…you wouldn't understand!" The ShadowClan medicine cat turned around and ran towards his Clan. In that instant, Foxstripe felt the Geass in his right eye react, a dark shadow looming over Shadowsight resembling a cat. _There's a shadow over him, too? Shadowsight's still himself, so his body's not being controlled…but his visions…is some cat manipulating him to further Bramblestar's own plan?_

Ren, Futaba, and Nightheart waited amongst the ThunderClan cats for the signal from Bramblestar to leave the island. They were relieved that Mistystar was able to cut the Gathering short before Bramblestar did anything. From the base of the Great Oak, they saw Squirrelflight rushing over to them.

"Oh no, is one of us in trouble?" Futaba fretted.

"It's just Squirrelflight…but she seems to be in a rush." When she got to them, her green gaze looked towards Ren.

"Molewhisker, were you telling me the truth about Bramblestar's message?

"I was." He responded. _It took a while, but it looks like telling Squirrelflight will pay off after all._

"Why should I believe you? Why would Bramblestar come to you in a dream, anyway?" She asked him.

"Maybe we should tell her the truth?" Futaba said.

"You know too, Swiftfrost?" The deputy asked. "What exactly is going on? Quick, we don't have much time!"

"The truth is that Rootpaw's the one who told me about Bramblestar's message. I didn't have a dream about him at all." Ren told her.

"Rootpaw? Why does he know about Bramblestar?"

"Let's go see him!" Nightheart quickly suggested. The four cats now began to deftly pass through the groups of cats until they finally reached Rootpaw, the tom talking with Lelouch, Makoto, and Tree.

"What's going—." The apprentice asked.

"Prove to me that Bramblestar sent you that message!" The deputy spat.

"W-What do I say?" Rootpaw wondered. Bramblestar's ghost appeared next to the apprentice.

"Tell her about—."

"G-Ghost!" Futaba screamed when she saw Bramblestar's ghost.

"Futaba, knock it off! We don't want to draw any attention!" Ren told her.

"Is she actually seeing Bramblestar?" Nightheart wondered.

"Swiftfrost can see me, too?"

"They both can. That's Futaba. I don't think you've seen her in any of our video calls before." Makoto told him.

"I'll give you three seconds before I leave. Swiftfrost is screaming about ghosts, and you're apparently just talking to thin air, Makoto!"

"No! Okay, tell Squirrelflight that after the battle with the Sisters, we sat in this clearing, looking at the stars wondering which one was Leafpool. She said it didn't matter because she'd always be watching over ThunderClan." Bramblestar told him.

"H-He told me to tell you that…"

"Bramblestar said that you and him were in this clearing and looked at the stars, wondering which one was Leafpool. You said it didn't matter because she'd always be watching over you." Makoto told her. Squirrelflight looked at the red-eyed she-cat in shock.

"He really is a ghost then…"

"Yes. Lelouch, Ren, Futaba and I are able to see him too, but we believe it's thanks to Rootpaw."

"Lelouch, is this true?" The deputy asked. Out of the cats around her, she trusted him the most. The tom nodded.

"I know it's hard to believe, but right now, there's some cat who has taken control of Bramblestar's body. The cat leading ThunderClan isn't the one you know. We can't let him have his way regarding the codebreakers. You need to work with Ren, Futaba, Nightheart, and the others to protect ThunderClan from the inside."

"Ren? Futaba? I have no idea who those cats are!"

"That would be us." Futaba meowed. "Hiya. Ren and I are in control of Swiftfrost and Molewhisker for the time being."

"Squirrelflight! Nightheart! Molewhisker! Swiftfrost! We're leaving!" The imposter called out.

"You both can explain everything to me back at camp. We need to get going." As the ThunderClan cats left, Rootpaw let out a sigh of relief.

"I wasn't sure this was going to work at all! Thank StarClan Squirrelflight believes us now."

"Right. It's a small step in getting your body back, Bramblestar, but we're at least somewhat closer now than we were before." Lelouch told the ThunderClan leader's ghost. _Hopefully Squirrelflight's able to remain close to the imposter. She was one of the codebreakers listed, after all._

/\/\/\

"Okay, explain everything to me again." Squirrelflight meowed as she Nightheart, Ren, Futaba, and Foxstripe walking at the back of the group of ThunderClan cats.

"Right now, Swiftfrost and Molewhisker's bodies are being use as disguises for Makoto's friends Ren and Futaba." Nightheart meowed. "You remember how Bramblestar banished all cats not from this world. Spottedleaf thought that would happen and Swiftfrost and Molewhisker volunteered to help."

"So not all cats who can possess others are bad? That's a relief." She meowed. "But then how did Bramblestar get controlled?"

"I think he's been fighting this cat mentally before he died in the clearing." Foxstripe stated. "Remember when you saw my Geass activate before? Well, my Geass has the ability to let me see the darkness inside of cats. When I'd look at Bramblestar, I'd see this dark, shadowy figure looming over him. It was worse when he came back to life."

"You've known for this long? Why didn't you say anything?"

"You didn't believe me at first when I told you Bramblestar was possessed." Ren reminded her. "Everything that Foxstripe's seen would be hard for any cat to believe." The deputy sighed.

"I guess you're right about that." Squirrelflight let out an irritated growl. "I should've known something was wrong! I know how Bramblestar acts. He's my mate after all…"

"It's not your fault." Futaba assured her. "I bet it's not everyday cats get possessed by some evil cat trying to destroy all the Clans for some reason." The she-cat's blue eyes gleamed. "Oh! I just realized we now have a new member of the Phantom Thieves ThunderClan squad!"

"Phantom…what?"

"The group Futaba, Makoto and I are a part of in our world. We didn't really agree that our group here would be called that, though." Ren explained.

"Well, we have to be known as something!" She responded, but got empty looks from the others. "Fine, no team name it is. Boring, but I'll ask the others and see if they agree, too."

"More cats know about what's going on with Bramblestar?"

"My mother, Jayfeather, Alderheart, Lionblaze, and Honeyfur all do." Foxstripe told her.

"The four we spoke to earlier know as well, and so do Kirito, Asuna, and Suguha." Nightheart added.

"This is…beyond what I was expecting." Squirrelflight stated. "Is there some sort of plan on how we're going to get Bramblestar his body back?"

"We wish we could say yes, but if Bramblestar finds out that cats know the truth about him at the wrong time, it could lead to trouble." Ren told her. "We need to wait for a more opportune time, but who knows when that could be." The deputy gave the tom an understanding nod. _Whoever's controlling Bramblestar is slowly starting to abuse his power. If we can't figure something out soon, every Clan could be in danger._

When the cats returned to camp, they all retreated to their dens. As Nightheart made her way over to the warriors' den, she heard a cat calling her name. She turned and saw that it was Spotfur and Stemleaf. Curious, she approached them.

"Hi you two. Is something wrong?"

"Other than Bramblestar? No, not really." Stemleaf meowed. "Listen Nightheart, we know out of everyone in ThunderClan, you're definitely against what Bramblestar is doing." The violet-eyed she-cat nodded.

"We were going to plan a secret meeting three nights from now at the Greenleaf Twolegplace. We want to stop Bramblestar from punishing so many cats." Spotfur explained.

"I understand. Did you invite any other cats from ThunderClan?" She asked, the two shaking their heads.

"We only started really inviting cats at tonight's Gathering. We spoke with some from RiverClan and WindClan. We were hoping you might be able to get the message to your father and Kirito and the others in ShadowClan."

"I should be able to. Giving the message to father and Makoto will allow her to tell Kirito, Asuna, and Suguha."

"This is great! This meeting might be successful after all!"

"Yeah. Thanks, Nightheart." Stemleaf meowed, dipping his head in thanks. The she-cat let out a hopeful smile. _This meeting might be just what we need. We'll finally be able to see how many cats actually are against everything this imposter is doing._

/\/\/\

The next morning, Foxstripe stood at the entrance to camp, monitoring the Clan as per Bramblestar's request. _How long do I have to listen to him? _The tom wondered. He turned around when he heard the ThunderClan leader call for him. He padded over to the base of Highledge, where he stood.

"Yes, Bramblestar?"

"The other day, Sparkpelt didn't return with any prey, correct?" The tom asked.

"Sparkpelt? I don't remember."

"You don't?" The tom nodded.

"I was focused on sending patrols out and monitoring the Clan like you said." He replied. "I'm sure she at least caught something. She's a great hunter, after all."

"Right, but Berrynose was out on that same hunting patrol. He said that she wandered off. I was just wondering if his accusation would come in line with anything you may have saw." Worry filled Foxstripe. He really wasn't sure if Sparkpelt returned with prey or not, but he was the one who set up the patrol. Anything that would happen to Sparkpelt would be on his paws, all because he put Berrynose on the same patrol. "Sparkpelt!" The Clan leader called for his daughter. From the warriors' den, Sparkpelt walked out and approached the two.

"Yes, Bramblestar?" She turned to look at her mother, worry in Squirrelflight's green eyes.

"Don't look at her. I'm your leader!" He spat. "Berrynose told me that you disappeared during your hunting patrol yesterday. Where did you go?"

"Um, I went off to hunt?" She retorted. "We've all gone hunting by ourselves before. I just wanted to cover more territory. Is that such a bad thing?"

"Well it is now." He replied. "StarClan's angry with us. We must stay with our Clanmates."

"How will that make them happy?"

"It'll make _me _happy. StarClan blessed me with nine lives. I'm the last cat they ever spoke to. I'm their voice in this forest!" He brought his face closer to his daughter's. "Do you think you know better than StarClan?"

"N-No."

"Good. So then, where did you go?"

"I went out hunting!"

"And you came back to camp without any prey to prove it?" Sparkpelt stayed silent, avoiding Bramblestar's intense amber gaze. "Where did you go?"

"I went to find Lionblaze, okay?" She confessed. "His exile was over a few sunrises ago, and I was worried about him. You did just say yourself that we must stay with our Clanmates. I was trying to make sure one of ours was alright." Squirrelflight got to her paws and padded forward.

"She was just trying to make sure her Clanmate was okay. Is there anything wrong with that?"

"Yes! She left her patrol without permission and looked for a cat I banished!" He answered.

"Okay, I'm sorry! Is that what you want to hear?" Sparkpelt asked. "It was wrong of me to break your rules and I'll never do it again." Foxstripe could sense fear in the she-cat's voice. "Please don't exile me from camp. I can't leave my Clan, and my kits are still apprentices." The silver-and-black tabby's stomach churned at the sight of Bramblestar looking down at his daughter. It seemed as though he enjoyed tormenting her, like he was having fun impersonating Bramblestar and hurting his family.

"Fine. Alderheart!" The leader turned his gaze towards the medicine cat's den. "Are we running low on catmint?"

"Catmint? It wouldn't hurt to have a bit more, but it'll be better to harvest it in a moon." He responded.

"We should probably check up on it. Sparkpelt, why don't you go look by the abandoned Twoleg nest?"

"If that's what you want." The tom's daughter meowed before she left camp.

"Bramblestar…I don't mean to question your authority, but Sparkpelt's your daughter." Foxstripe told him.

"I know. You see, Foxstripe, no matter what, I have to treat my warriors as equals. Unfair treatment would lead to trouble amongst the rest of the Clan. Besides, her punishment could've been much worse, don't you agree?" Foxstripe gulped before silently nodding. "I'll be in my den. Keep watch of the Clan for me. I'm counting on you." As Bramblestar left, he motioned for Squirrelflight to follow him back to the leader's den, the deputy reluctantly following.

Foxstripe glanced over at the camp entrance. It had almost been an hour ever since Sparkpelt left to check on the catmint, but she had yet to return.

"Do you think Sparkpelt's okay?" Honeyfur asked the tom, the two sharing a mouse.

"I hope so." He replied before taking a bite of the prey. "Still…how can no cat see that there's something wrong with Bramblestar? Do they all really believe in this prophecy about the codebreakers so much that it justifies how he's been acting?"

"It's not exactly easy for everyone to see. It's a message from StarClan, after all." Foxstripe then remembered the shadow he saw over Shadowsight the night before at the Gathering.

"I don't think Shadowsight's been talking to StarClan at all." The white-and-yellow she-cat tilted her head in confusion.

"What do you—." Foxstripe and Honeyfur turned their attention to the camp entrance and saw that it was Lionblaze. The tom looked thin; his eyes seemed almost lifeless. He approached Bramblestar, but the Clan leader didn't seem joyous or relieved that he returned safely.

"My quarter moon exile has passed. I'm here to return to my Clan and to my duties as a member of ThunderClan."

"Before you do that, we learned from StarClan that you are one of the codebreakers."

"What?" The golden tom looked at the leader in shock.

"Shadowsight had a vision that listed all of the codebreakers. They must atone, or the Clans will never be at peace!"

"So you're going to believe a ShadowClan cat over your own Clanmate?"

"Don't forget why you were exiled!" The leader retorted.

"Bramblestar, please." Squirrelflight stepped in between the two. "I was named as a codebreaker, too, and so were Jayfeather and—."

"Jayfeather? He's our medicine cat! He's one of the most helpful cats in this Clan! Why would StarClan want him to be punished?"

"I think it's because of me." The deputy meowed.

"Because of what you and Leafpool did? That was moons ago! Why is this just coming up now? Did StarClan just finally become fed up for some reason?"

"If this is the will of StarClan, we must follow it." Bramblestar meowed. "I want all of ThunderClan's codebreakers to swear an oath to atone for their wrongdoings!" Relief filled Foxstripe when he heard the leader's proclamation. _Is that all? At least for now I hope it is._

"Is that all? If it'll help me _atone_ for being a codebreaker, that's fine with me."

"I-I'll do it too." Twigbranch meowed as she left the crowd of her Clanmates and stood next to Lionblaze.

"Jayfeather!" The leader called. The blind medicine cat left the den and tasted the air.

"Is it Sparkpelt? Is she finally back?" As he tasted it again, he realized that it was his brother. "Lionblaze!" He ran over to the golden tom. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, there's nothing to worry about."

"Well I'd at least like to check on you. Come on."

"Not so fast." Bramblestar stopped him. "You all must first swear an oath."

"Oath?"

"To atone for being codebreakers." Lionblaze told him. "Just do it so everything can go back to normal." As they waited for Bramblestar's next order, Squirrelflight stepped forward.

"Should I take an oath as well? I'm one of the codebreakers, after all."

"Nonsense. You spoke with StarClan before when you could've died and they brought you back to us. Clearly they have forgiven you." He turned his gaze to the other three cats. "Now, repeat after me." The leader began to create his oath for Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Twigbranch to repeat, making sure that they stayed loyal to their own Clan. At the end, Bramblestar's gaze seemed to intensify. "If I break the code again, I will be exiled from my Clan to protect them from StarClan's anger." Every ThunderClan cat looked at each other at the leader's last statement of the oath. "Say it." As the Clan went silent, a groan of pain could be heard at the camp entrance coming from a she-cat. Slowly, Sparkpelt entered camp, her fur tattered and splotched with blood.

"Oh no!" Squirrelflight ran over to her daughter to support her as she struggled to stay on her paws. "Jayfeather, come help!" The blind medicine cat ran over to the two, quickly turning his blind gaze back towards the medicine cat's den.

"Alderheart, we need cobwebs!" He called out. Every cat began to group around Sparkpelt and help her towards the medicine cat's den.

"What happened?" The she-cat's mother asked.

"T-There were…dogs at the abandoned Twoleg den." Sparkpelt muttered. Foxstripe had noticed that Bramblestar was nowhere near his daughter, as to be expected. He looked down at her coldly and simply washed his face as cats helped her over to the den to get medical treatment. _There was no reason for a group of dogs to be there at all._

"Honeyfur, let's go."

"Go? Where?"

"To the abandoned Twoleg den. Quick, before Bramblestar sees us." The two cats rushed out of camp, Foxstripe breaking out into a run.

"Foxstripe, wait!" Honeyfur called out to the tom. "Dogs just attacked Sparkpelt! It's suicide to go there!" The tom ignored her plea, but slowed down as they neared the den, Honeyfur finally able to catch up to him. "Are you mouse-brained? We could get hurt being here!"

"It's okay, Honeyfur. The scent is stale. They're gone." The she-cat tasted the air and let out a sigh of relief.

"Okay then. Let's keep going." As the two got closer to the den, they heard no sounds of pawsteps nearby, telling them that the dogs really were gone. "What are we looking for?" Another scent suddenly touched their nose, one that they were both familiar with. "Is that prey?" The two left the forested area and walked towards the Twoleg den. They noticed that one of its stony walls were coated with blood.

"It's definitely blood from prey, that's for sure." Foxstripe meowed.

"Right, and from the looks of it, it must've been some sort of fresh-kill pile."

"It couldn't have been rogues." Memories flooded Foxstripe as he remembered the rogues who were here that attacked him and Suguha while he was still an apprentice. "Yeah, it definitely wasn't rogues."

"Then who could it have been? It just smells like dog-scent." Honeyfur replied.

"Bramblestar." The tom softly meowed.

"How? It doesn't smell like cat at all." She replied. "Unless…he placed this prey here sunrises ago. His scent would've been swept away." Foxstripe nodded in agreement.

"He also chose this place specifically to send Sparkpelt to." Foxstripe could feel his stomach being to churn, his paws beginning to tremble as he realized that this all was most likely Bramblestar's doing. "He tried to kill one of our Clanmates…Bramblestar's daughter no less."

"How could he be so fox-hearted?" Honeyfur meowed in disbelief. "We need to do something about him now before more of our Clanmates get hurt!"

"What can we even do?" Foxstripe meowed. "No cat will believe us if we tell them that Bramblestar planted this prey here and tried to kill Sparkpelt. We can't say anything either or we'll suffer the same fate that Sparkpelt did, or even worse." Hope seemed to leave the tom as he gazed back at the blood-stained wall of the Twoleg den. _When will we be able to do something? This impostor has already attempted to kill one of our Clanmates, and all we can do is stand by while he leads ThunderClan! We need to act quickly before things get worse._


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

_The stars illuminated _the sky above ShadowClan. Kirito took a bite of his mouse and pushed it over to Asuna as the two sat together to share their final meal of the day. Lately, more injured cats began returning to camp, the latest being Pouncestep, the she-cat falling from a tree as she was hunting earlier in the day.

"This is the most injuries that I've seen in the span of a few days." The black tom meowed.

"Tell me about it. I just hope that Antfur's death is the only injury-related fatality that happens." Asuna responded. "Kirito?"

"What's up?"

"The other day at the Moonpool, I spoke with Alderheart and Jayfeather. Alderheart thinks that whoever is allied with the cat controlling Bramblestar is sending Shadowsight those messages."

"What? You mean there's actually a whole group that this cat is a part of?"

"It's just a theory Alderheart had, but it has to be a possibility." Asuna meowed. "All of Shadowsight's visions line up with furthering Bramblestar's motive of punishing codebreakers."

"Yeah, you're right. But how did they form a connection with Shadowsight?"

"The same way they reached Bramblestar and were able to control him, most likely. Now if only we could figure out how that happened…" As Kirito was about to take another bite of his mouse, his menu screen appeared in front of his face. He answered the video call and saw that it was Futaba, along with Foxstripe and Honeyfur.

"We didn't call you at a bad time, right?" Futaba asked.

"You're good. Most of the Clan is just getting into their dens right now." Kirito told her. "Are you three out hunting right now?"

"We just snuck out of camp to talk with you." Foxstripe meowed. "Earlier today, Bramblestar sent Sparkpelt out to pick out catmint to punish her for trying to look for Lionblaze, but she was attacked by dogs. Honeyfur and I think Bramblestar placed a trap to lead the dogs there."

"Oh no! Sparkpelt's okay, right?" Asuna meowed, her voice shaky.

"She's recovering in the medicine cat's den." Honeyfur assured her, Asuna letting out a sigh of relief.

"How could he do something like that?" Kirito said in disbelief. "This imposter's gone too far."

"Right, but the second we act, we give away that we know the truth about Bramblestar. There's still some cats in ThunderClan who are loyal to him." The violet-eyed tom told them. "Kirito, Asuna, do you know any cats in ShadowClan who are against what Bramblestar's doing?"

"Well, most of them are, right Asuna?" The she-cat nodded.

"We've never explicitly asked any cat. Why?"

"Spotfur and Stemleaf have planned a secret meeting two days from now and they need as many cats as they can get from all the Clans. Do you think you could recruit some for us?" Futaba asked.

"We'll try."

"Great. The meeting will be at the Greenleaf Twolegplace. You two should come along with Suguha." Foxstripe told him.

"We'll be there. Thanks for telling us you three." Kirito ended the video call and looked over at Asuna. "We can't just go and ask cats if they'd come. If the wrong cat hears, who knows what could happen."

"Hears about what?" The two cats jumped and turned around to see that it was Cloverfoot. "Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to scare you both!"

"W-What are you still doing up anyway, Cloverfoot?" Kirito asked the she-cat.

"I'm watching over camp until everyone goes to sleep." She replied.

"So we're the ones keeping you away from your nest in the warriors' den, huh?"

"I didn't mean to rush you two or anything!" The deputy apologized. "I just…I saw that thing in front of Kirito and was curious because it seemed like you both were talking to someone." Cloverfoot let out a sigh. "I shouldn't lie to you both. I was…eavesdropping, b-but I promise that I won't tell Tigerstar or anyone!"

"Thank you, Cloverfoot." Asuna meowed. "What did you hear?"

"Only about the secret meeting regarding Bramblestar." She meowed. "Are you both going with Suguha?" They nodded. "Do you think that…I could go along with you three?"

"Seriously?" Kirito asked the deputy, the she-cat nodding.

"Bramblestar's starting to sound like he's trying to take advantage of the Clans and boss them around. I want to try and stop him from going any further." Cloverfoot explained.

"We're more than happy to have you join us, Cloverfoot." Asuna said with a smile.

"Yeah. You'll be an awesome addition to the group when we go." Kirito added. "Do you think you could help us tomorrow morning to find other ShadowClan cats who might want to attend the meeting?" The deputy nodded. "Nice. Thanks, Cloverfoot. Oh, and we'll finish this mouse already so you can get some sleep."

"You both take as long as you need." She assured them with a small laugh before walking back to the camp entrance.

"Well, at least we have someone else going with us, and she's the deputy, too." Asuna meowed. "I just hope we'll be able to find more cats to join us."

"I'm sure we will." As Kirito went to take another bite, he looked over at Asuna. "You want the rest?" The she-cat shook her head.

"It's all yours. Try to get rid of it quick so Cloverfoot can sleep." She stood up and gave the tom a lick to the ear. "I'll be in the warriors' den. Goodnight, Kirito."

"Night." Kirito meowed before he finished off the rest of the mouse. As he was burying the bones, he noticed Cloverfoot approach him. "Sorry for keeping you up a bit longer, Cloverfoot."

"Oh, I knew I shouldn't have said anything! I ruined you and Asuna's time together, didn't I?"

"You're good, Cloverfoot, really." The black tom assured her. He noticed that something still seemed to be bothering her. "You don't believe me, huh?"

"No, it's not that. I just…don't want to pester you about whatever that thing in front of you was…but I'm really curious." The tom let out a small laugh.

"It's just a way for Asuna, Suguha, and I to keep in touch with some of our friends from ThunderClan. We never really needed to use it until now, y'know, with Bramblestar exiling us and all." He explained.

"And it's like you're talking as if they were right in front of you?"

"Yeah. I'm sure Twolegs here can do the same thing, too. It's similar to a way of communication we have in our world, I mean."

"Fascinating. I can't imagine how simple everything would be if our leaders could talk to each other without having to set paw out of camp."

"There could definitely be some fights stopped, that's for sure." Kirito meowed before letting out a yawn. "Sorry, I think my bedding's calling for me." The deputy let out a small laugh.

"Let's both go get some rest. We never know what could happen tomorrow, after all."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Lelouch slowly opened his violet eyes in the middle of his sleep when he felt a paw shake him. He looked over and saw that it was Makoto.

"I'm sorry for waking you, but I think Ren's trying to call us."

"I guess it'd be safer to call while everyone's asleep." The tom meowed, wiping his violet eyes with a paw. The two carefully left the warriors' den, making sure not to disturb any of the sleeping SkyClan warriors. Once they were out, they moved to a vacant area in camp away from any of the dens before Makoto swiped a paw down and began to call Ren. When the tom answered, they saw that it was both him and Nightheart. "Is something wrong you two?"

"It's horrible! Bramblestar sent Sparkpelt out to punish her and she was attacked by dogs!"

"Nightheart, I know it's bad, but we can't be so loud." Ren reminded her.

"Is Sparkpelt okay?" Lelouch asked, concern in his voice.

"She's in the medicine cat's den recovering now…but there's something else." The brown-and-cream tom meowed. "Foxstripe and Honeyfur went to check out the place where Sparkpelt was attacked. They both think that Bramblestar laid out the trap for her."

"What!" Makoto and Lelouch both were in shock.

"It's just a coincidence, right? It just has to be." The red-eyed she-cat hoped, but Nightheart shook her head.

"Bramblestar specifically told her to go pick catmint at the abandoned Twoleg den. There's never been dogs around there." The violet-eyed she-cat replied.

"They think Bramblestar placed the trap there days ago to punish the next cat who disobeyed him." Ren added. "We need to start taking action soon before someone gets killed."

"Right, but we should probably do so after the meeting, at least."

"Meeting?" Lelouch looked over at his daughter.

"Stemleaf and Spotfur are holding a meeting for any cats against what Bramblestar is doing. It'll be two nights from now." Nightheart explained. "Father, can you and Makoto find some cats in SkyClan to join you both? We can use all the support we can get, after all."

"We'll try our best, Nightheart." Makoto told the she-cat. "Is there anything else you wanted to tell us?"

"That's all for now. We'll call again if anything comes up." Makoto ended the call, Lelouch hitting the ground with a paw seconds later.

"Damn it!" Concerned filled the brown she-cat's red eyes as she saw the tom's irritation. "How can we reveal the truth about Bramblestar without putting anyone in danger? Sparkpelt, Bramblestar's _own daughter_ could've died at this imposter's paws!"

"Lelouch, I know you're upset, but waiting is our best option. If the cats in ThunderClan at least play along and stay subservient to him, no cat will get hurt there." Lelouch let out a sigh.

"You're right. I apologize for my outburst. It's just that I've known Sparkpelt ever since she was an apprentice; I was even her mentor with Cherryfall at one point. I'm more than a bit fond of her."

"You must really care for her then?" The tom nodded. "We'll find a way to stop this fake Bramblestar's reign of terror. I hate waiting as much as you and the others do, but it's all we can do. I know you know that more than anyone else, being a master tactician in your past life and all."

"Right. Like you said, we can just hope that everyone in ThunderClan that doesn't know their leader's true identity obeys him." The tom meowed. "Hopefully something fruitful comes from this meeting in a few days."

Two nights had passed since Ren and Nightheart sent Lelouch and Makoto the message regarding the meeting at the Greenleaf Twolegplace. They knew that Tree and Rootpaw were going with them, but they were able to find two other cats to join them: Frecklewish and Blossomheart. Both she-cats believed that punishing the codebreakers was wrong, and was out of line with how they always knew StarClan acted. Once the rest of the Clan was sound asleep, the six cats quietly made their escape from camp and made their way to the Greenleaf Twolegplace, Lelouch leading the group.

"So, what exactly is a Greenleaf Twolegplace? I know Twolegs are humans, but that's about it." Makoto meowed.

"The one we're going to is a campsite, but they're just any place humans usually go to in the summertime." Lelouch explained. "Luckily we don't need to walk far. It's pretty close by." The tom looked over at Frecklewish and Blossomheart. "I'm grateful that you both joined us. Thank you."

"I can't speak for Frecklewish, but after hearing Bramblestar exile you and the others, I knew something was wrong. The way he's been wanting to punish codebreakers just adds to my suspicion." Blossomheart meowed.

"Right. I disagree with what he wants to do with the codebreakers. They don't deserve to be hurt in any sort of way." The medicine cat meowed. "I do feel a bit bad going behind Leafstar's back, but if this meeting could lead to stopping Bramblestar, I'd like to be there."

After passing through a few more rows of bushes, they reached the hollow where the meeting was going to take place. There, they already saw cats all gathered for the meeting. When Lelouch saw where the ThunderClan cats were, he broke away from the group and walked over to them.

"Lelouch!" Ivypool pressed her head into her mate's chestfur when she saw him. She stepped away from him a few seconds later, a small blush on her face. "Sorry, I know we saw each other days ago…but I still miss you."

"You're not the only one. I miss you too, Ivypool." He looked back at the group of ThunderClan cats and let out a smile at the sight of his three kits being there as well. "And you three, too." Foxstripe and Nightheart walked over to Lelouch, Futaba behind them both. After greeting the other two, Futaba walked up to Lelouch, avoiding his violet gaze in embarrassment. "Is something wrong, Futaba?"

"N-No, it's just that…I'm not sure if I should come up to you like Foxstripe and Nightheart did." Lelouch let out a smile and pushed the she-cat close to him with his tail, pressing his chin lightly on her head. "I'm glad you're okay, dad." Lelouch looked down at Futaba, who began to blush. "T-That was Swiftfrost talking! I swear!"

"She might be telling the truth, you know." Ren told him. "Molewhisker's done the same thing to me before."

"Really? Either way, I'm glad you're still okay, Futaba." The black tom meowed before he looked at the other ThunderClan cats. "Honeyfur, Twigbranch, Finleap, it's great to see you here."

"How do you think we feel? I'm glad to see that you and the others are okay." Twigbranch meowed. "We miss you all in ThunderClan."

"Speaking of the others, where are they?"

"We're right here, thanks for asking." The tom turned around and saw Kirito, Asuna, and Suguha. "How's SkyClan treating you?"

"Good. I can assume ShadowClan's been good to you three as well?" The three nodded.

"Suguha!" Nightheart ran over to the black she-cat and the two touched noses. "Thank StarClan you're alright."

"I should be the worried one. You're so close to that scoundrel of a leader, after all." The gray-eyed she-cat replied. She looked over at Foxstripe and walked over to the tom, greeting him with a lick to the ear, causing him to blush. "I'm glad you're okay, too, Foxstripe. I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, Suguha. You were my mentor, after all." The black-and-gray tabby meowed. "When this is all over and you come back to ThunderClan…I'd like to be Foxpaw again. I want you to be the one giving me my warrior assessment."

"Foxstripe…are you sure?" The tom nodded.

"My warrior name means nothing if I was given it by this imposter." The she-cat let out a smile.

"I wouldn't expect anything less from my apprentice." Suguha pressed close to the tom, but stepped away when she saw Honeyfur behind him watching the two. "Oh! Foxstripe, you didn't tell me you and Honeyfur—."

"W-We're not mates!" Both Foxstripe and Honeyfur meowed. "First father, and now you, Suguha?"

"S-Sorry, I just thought that…well, since she's standing right there…"

"T-That doesn't mean anything!" Honeyfur exclaimed. "Foxstripe's just the one I feel I'm friends with the most here. Plus, I'm thankful that he trusted me enough to let me in on everything that's been going on with Bramblestar."

"Aw, well it's still cute nonetheless."

"C-Can we not call it cute, either?" The yellow-spotted she-cat asked.

As Lelouch was talking with Ivypool, he felt a tail touch his shoulder. He turned around and saw that it was Stemleaf and Spotfur.

"We don't mean to break up your reunion or anything, but can we talk to you for a second, Lelouch?" Stemleaf asked.

"Sure. What's wrong?"

"It's just that…we didn't expect so many cats to be here!" Spotfur meowed.

"To be honest…we set this up, but neither of us really know how to lead. We were hoping that you could lead this meeting?" Stemleaf hoped. "Hopefully my broken relationship with Swiftfrost doesn't play a role in your choice."

"Nothing like that would change how Lelouch sees the two of you." Ivypool assured them. "Right?" The tom nodded.

"I'll gladly lead this meeting."

"Great! Everyone!" Stemleaf called out. "I want to thank you all for coming. I really didn't expect so many cats to be here…and I'm not really sure how to start this whole meeting, but Lelouch here has offered to lead it." The cats all looked at the violet-eyed tom as he moved to the center of the hollow.

"Thank you, Stemleaf." The tom looked around the clearing. "We're all here for the exact same reason: Bramblestar's misuse of power with this talk of the code-breakers." The tom began. "What we need to do is stand up to his reign before he takes over the entire forest."

"Yes, but…we'll be going up against StarClan."

"That's what Bramblestar wants you to believe." Lelouch responded. "Would StarClan want the Clans to bring back terror after we've just been settled only moons ago? We've been living peacefully until now, so why would they suddenly want such a horrific change?"

"But then why have they gone silent?" Sneezecloud, a RiverClan tom, asked.

"I can't say for sure. However, wouldn't you all agree that their silence would be the perfect time to manipulate the wishes of StarClan?" The violet-eyed tom asked. "I'll get straight to the point: We have reason to believe that the message about the codebreakers wasn't from StarClan at all, but from an entirely different faction intent to destroy the Clans."

"How do you know? What proof do you have?" Breezepelt wondered.

"Foxstripe?" Lelouch looked over at his son and motioned him to come forward with his tail.

"Your own son?" Slightfoot, a WindClan tom, questioned.

"I'm sure that you're all familiar with the power of Geass that I used to possess? The same power has manifested in Foxstripe's eyes, however, his works differently than mine."

"R-Right. My Geass has the ability to sense darkness inside of cats. Whenever I look at Bramblestar, I notice this dark, shadowy figure looming over him. This darkness strengthened after he was brought back to us from StarClan, or so he wants us to believe."

"Are you saying Bramblestar coming back to life isn't StarClan's doing?" Finleap asked.

"Yes. Based on what we've all seen, we believe that right now, a different cat is controlling our leader's body and trying to destroy the Clans." Cats began to talk amongst each other around the hollow. As expected, Bramblestar suddenly being possessed was too hard for any normal cats to believe.

"And you believe this because of the shadow you've seen around him?" Frecklewish asked, Foxstripe nodding.

"I can add on to this." Tree meowed. "Lately, I've been seeing Bramblestar's ghost around SkyClan. I'm the only cat he can speak to, and some of the others not from this world can see him as well."

"Is he here now?" One cat asked.

"He's not, but I swear that I've seen him before! He's so spooky!" Futaba said.

"Wait, Swiftfrost is able to see Bramblestar's ghost, too?" Breezepelt asked.

"Oh no! Me and my big mouth!"

"It's okay, Futaba, don't worry." Lelouch assured her.

"Futaba? That's the first time you've referred to Swiftfrost that way, Lelouch." Twigbranch realized.

"That's because Swiftfrost is being controlled by someone not from the forest. The same can be said for Molewhisker as well. Like Bramblestar, these two are being possessed, but to save the Clans."

"Really?" All eyes fell on Ren and Futaba, the she-cat sulking closer to the ground.

"So many eyes…" Ivypool placed her tail on the she-cat's shoulder to comfort her. "Ah, thanks, mom." The she-cat let out a small smile.

"May I explain these two?" Makoto asked. "Molewhisker and Swiftfrost are being controlled by my friends Ren and Futaba." The brown she-cat explained. "When we were brought to this world, Spottedleaf explained to us that Bramblestar might not let me stay in ThunderClan, so Molewhisker and Swiftfrost volunteered as disguises for Ren and Futaba to keep an eye on him. Bramblestar did just that, but he doesn't know that there are still cats not from this world in his camp."

"It's the truth." Ren stated. "I don't really know how to prove it, but you'll have to take my word for it."

"That would explain Swiftfrost acting strange that day." Stemleaf realized, looking over at Futaba.

"W-Well no cat told me Swiftfrost liked you! J-Just stop looking at me, Stemleaf!" She told the tom before she looked at him in surprise. "T-That wasn't me talking. I-It was Swiftfrost!" The tom let out a sigh.

"Wait, so Swiftfrost is still in her body then?" Twigbranch asked.

"In a way, yes. Molewhisker and Swiftfrost aren't like Bramblestar in that their spirits are wandering the forest. Futaba and I are in control of their bodies at the moment, but their emotions can still come through at times." Ren explained.

"That explains that weird 'acting' thing when Molewhisker was all lovey-dovey towards Nightheart!" Finleap realized.

"So, it really is true then? Bramblestar's body has been stolen from him." Stemleaf meowed.

"You've all seen it yourselves. Bramblestar would never do something like order him and Squirrelflight to be fed first. That's nothing like the leader we've grown up to know." Foxstripe said.

"He ordered something like that? What a fox-heart!" Cloverfoot spat. "What can we do now?"

"We can speak with Shadowsight." Asuna suggested. "Everything that's happened so far to Bramblestar may be due to his visions."

"Asuna's right. At the last Gathering, I noticed a shadow around Shadowsight, but I know for certain that he isn't being possessed by some cat. I think the shadow represents whoever is manipulating him with those visions he's been having." Foxstripe stated. "Asuna, do you think you can talk to him about this?" The she-cat nodded.

"You should go as well, Foxstripe." Lelouch suggested. "Maybe telling him what you've seen with your Geass can persuade him that his visions aren't from StarClan." The tom nodded.

"But what about Bramblestar?" From the crowd, Honeyfur spoke. "The other day, Foxstripe and I found clues that made us believe that he tried to kill Sparkpelt."

"What?! You mean the dog attack?" Twigbranch meowed in shock.

"Yes. We found out that some cat was placing fresh-kill there to lure dogs. Why else would Bramblestar choose specifically to punish Sparkpelt by picking catmint, even when it wasn't ready to be harvested?"

"This is…surreal." Frecklewish said, the she-cat almost speechless.

"All I'm saying is that I don't want any more cats getting hurt from this imposter. We need to expose his true identity as soon as possible."

"Honeyfur's right. When I heard the news about what happened to Sparkpelt, I couldn't believe it. I do think I have an idea, though." Lelouch meowed.

"What is it?" Breezepelt asked.

"Squirrelflight. She knows the truth about Bramblestar. If we can get her to persuade the other Clan leaders about Bramblestar, we can all band together against him."

"Lelouch, are you sure about that?" Ivypool asked her mate. "If it comes to fighting, we'll be fighting our own Clanmates."

"Right. What I meant is that we at least need to hope that they believe that Bramblestar is being possessed and will stand their ground against anything he says. Fighting is the last thing any cat wants…but I can't promise that it won't escalate that far." He meowed. "Having Squirrelflight convince the other leaders will be our first step in taking away Bramblestar's power. From there, we'll discuss everything further. Does everyone understand?"

"Yeah! We'll stop Bramblestar before any harm comes to the Clans!" Kirito exclaimed, causing the other around to cheer as well.

"Of course, the only thing you say all night is a rallying cry." Suguha said with a sigh.

"C'mon Sugu, I'm great at planning too, but I'm not as great as Lelouch is. I have to do something to help." In the middle of the hollow, Lelouch turned his attention towards Foxstripe.

"Foxstripe, can I rely on you to tell Squirrelflight our plan?" The black-and-gray tabby nodded. "Thank you. You've been taking your responsibility for the Clans well. I'm proud of you, more than you may believe."

"T-Thank you, father. I won't let you or the Clans down."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The dawn light slowly began to break through the trees as Foxstripe and the others made their way back to camp from the meeting. They were lucky enough to return while the Clan was still asleep, but while the others went back to their nests, the tom had to stay awake to set up the first patrols of the day. From Highledge, Squirrelflight made her way down into the clearing towards Foxstripe.

"Good morning, Foxstripe. Did you set up a dawn patrol yet?" The tom shook his head.

"Not yet. No cat has woken up yet." He responded.

"Let's hope one does. It'd be in the Clan's best interest to set up a patrol before Bramblestar wakes up." She meowed, Foxstripe nodding his head in agreement.

"Squirrelflight, I need to tell you something." The deputy turned her attention towards the tom. "Me and the others just came back from a meeting regarding Bramblestar. We told everyone the truth and they now know he's an impostor."

"And they all believed you?"

"It helped that Ren and Futaba were there to show that cats could actually be possessed."

"That's a relief. So, what's next? What are they going to do?"

"We can't do anything yet without support, yours, specifically."

"Me?"

"You're the only one with a high enough position who can possibly persuade the other leaders about Bramblestar being possessed." The violet-eyed tom explained. "It'll be risky, but we really need more cats to support our cause, and getting the leaders to be on our side would be a huge help." Squirrelflight stood there in thought for a moment, until she nodded.

"I'll do it. After what that twisted fox-heart possibly did to our daughter, I want him out of Bramblestar's body as soon as possible."

"Thank you. I was thinking that maybe you could see Leafstar first. With Makoto and my father there, you might have an easier time persuading her. But…there's no way Bramblestar will keep his eyes off of you."

"I think I might have an idea. Time for his talk of codebreakers to work in our favor." The deputy said with confidence. As if on cue, Bramblestar left his den and approached the two.

"What are you doing out here, Squirrelflight?"

"I was just talking with Foxstripe before I left."

"Left?"

"To atone for being a codebreaker."

"What? You already spoke with StarClan recently, remember? They've already forgiven you." The leader assured her.

"Yes, but would we want the other Clans to see that ThunderClan is making exceptions? We need to set an example for the rest of the Clans, after all."

"Right…so then why not take the same oath the others did?"

"Well, Lionblaze still had to leave. I should do the same. It's only fair." She meowed. "I'll be gone for only a couple of days. It'll show the Clan that even their deputy isn't excused from StarClan's wishes."

"She's got a point, Bramblestar." Foxstripe told the leader. "If we want the others to follow, you can't make exceptions, especially for your mate."

"You have a point there, Foxstripe." The ThunderClan leader let out a sigh. "Are you sure about this, Squirrelflight?" The she-cat nodded. "Very well then. Stay safe out there." Before leaving, Squirrelflight pressed her head against the tom's chest and let out a purr.

"I'll miss you." She meowed before she made her way towards the camp exit. Foxstripe was surprised. It must've been so awkward to feign love for the cat controlling her mate's body. Foxstripe looked over at Bramblestar, the leader still watching as Squirrelflight left.

"I'm sure she'll be okay, Bramblestar. For now, why don't you go back to sleep? I haven't really set up any patrols yet, and you deserve the freshest prey. I'll take care of the camp for now."

"Alright. Thank you, Foxstripe." As he scaled back up Highledge, Foxstripe let out a devious grin. _No, thank you for falling for it, 'Bramblestar'._

Kirito, Asuna, Suguha, and Cloverfoot snuck through the pine forest of ShadowClan as they made their way back to camp from the meeting. The sun had just begun to rise, so they hoped that no cat would notice their disappearance. When they reached the entrance, Kirito let out a sigh of relief.

"We should be good." He meowed as he entered camp, the three she-cats following behind him. "We just need to slip back into our nests and—." Kirito stopped when he saw that Tigerstar and Shadowsight were looking at him. "Oh! Uh…h-hey you two!"

"Kirito? What were you doing out?" Tigerstar asked. He then watched as Suguha, Asuna, and Cloverfoot now entered behind the fretted tom. "Cloverfoot? Asuna? Suguha? Where did you four go?"

"W-We just went out to try hunting at night!" Cloverfoot quickly meowed. "We haven't been lucky finding prey in the morning, after all."

"I'm guessing you four didn't catch anything?"

"If Kazuto didn't, none of us really could." Suguha said.

"Hey!" The black tom looked at his cousin.

"That still doesn't explain what you were doing out, Shadowsight." Tigerstar meowed. The four of them looked over at the medicine cat, who seemed to shrink in his father's presence. As his son stayed silent, he looked over at the others. "Did you four see Dovewing while you were out?"

"Dovewing? Has she gone missing?" Asuna asked, the leader shaking his head.

"She left camp to atone."

"What!? Tigerstar, we have to bring her back!" The cream she-cat stated.

"Asuna's right! She could get hurt out there!" Shadowsight added.

"StarClan will watch over her. This is what they've asked for, after all." Tigerstar meowed.

"But it isn't!" Shadowsight exclaimed. Asuna looked at the tom in surprise._ Does Shadowsight realize his visions aren't from StarClan?_ The she-cat wondered, curious as to how the tom realized the fact. "I…I went to the Moonpool and spoke with StarClan…at least, that's what I was hoping. I found out there it wasn't them at all."

"What?" Tigerstar looked at his son in surprise. "But you've been talking to them, you said so yourself."

"But I was wrong! This entire time I was wrong!"

"Shadowsight?" From the medicine cat's den, Puddleshine walked over to them. "I was wondering where you went. You're up pretty early."

"He went to the Moonpool." Tigerstar meowed.

"By yourself? You know better!"

"I know, and I'm sorry, but this is important!"

"Kirito, Suguha, Cloverfoot, do you mind letting us speak with Shadowsight for a moment?" The ShadowClan leader requested.

"It's okay, Tigerstar. We all know what's going on with Shadowsight, at least, we think we have an idea." Asuna looked over at the gray tabby tom. "The voices that you've been hearing have been manipulating you, Shadowsight. Ever since they first spoke to you about Bramblestar."

"I-I think so. Everything that's happened up until now is my fault. I-I'm really sorry."

"Hey, you didn't know. We can still try and fix all of this." Kirito assured the tom.

"Wait…how do you all know about this?" Tigerstar asked.

"The truth is that we weren't really out hunting." Asuna explained. "We were at a meeting discussing about what to do with Bramblestar. He's being controlled by an evil cat and our guess is that he wants to destroy the Clans."

"He's being controlled?" Puddleshine said with disbelief.

"It's true! We've lived in ThunderClan for most of our time in this world. We know that Bramblestar would never act the way he has been." Suguha responded. "Kirito, Asuna, and I have known ever since we were exiled here, but we didn't think any cat would believe us."

"What Sugu said." Kirito meowed. "Foxstripe's been seeing a shadow looming over Bramblestar even before he lost a life in the clearing. That shadow represents the cat that's now controlling Bramblestar. He even saw one above Shadowsight, too."

"M-Me?"

"He thinks that it represents the evil cat trying to manipulate you." Asuna explained. "You do believe us Tigerstar, right?" Asuna's hazel gaze touched the ShadowClan leader's amber eyes. She had to hope that he did.

"I don't know…"

"You have to, father!" Shadowsight pleaded. "Foxstripe told me about the shadow around Bramblestar before back when we were still apprentices at the Gathering." Guilt now filled the tom as he reminisced about his last encounter with his cousin. "…and I didn't listen to him when he suggested that StarClan might not be the ones talking to me."

"It's not your fault." Puddleshine placed his tail on the tom's shoulder. "You're still a young medicine cat, after all, and no cat has even had something like this happen to them."

"Does that mean that you believe them, Puddleshine?" Tigerstar asked.

"It would explain everything that's going on with Bramblestar. We've thought he's been acting strange this whole time, after all. Now we have a reason, albeit one that's very peculiar."

"Right, and knowing who Foxstripe's parents are, I'm sure he's telling the truth about all of this." The ShadowClan leader said, causing Asuna to smile.

"Thank you, Tigerstar."

"My only question is why is this just coming up now? If Foxstripe knows the truth, why doesn't he say anything?"

"Because the cat controlling Bramblestar has every cat there filled with fear. There are more cats that know the truth, but with the power he has, if they reveal it at the wrong time, they could be in trouble." Kirito explained. "We're trying to convince the other leaders that the Bramblestar leading ThunderClan at the moment is fake. We could use the extra power against him."

"This really is serious. Whoever's controlling Bramblestar must be stopped before he gains any more power." The ShadowClan leader stated. "Wait…Dovewing! If this talk about codebreakers is fake, she doesn't need to atone at all! Cloverfoot, Puddleshine, you both stay here. We're going out to bring Dovewing back."

"Okay. Just be safe out there!" The deputy meowed as they left to bring the ShadowClan leader's mate back to camp.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Lelouch and Makoto made their way back into camp after going out on a hunting patrol with Blossomheart and Rabbitleap. As they dropped their prey off at the fresh-kill pile, Makoto let out a yawn.

"I wish I could be like Rootpaw and still be asleep right now. I'm exhausted." The red-eyed she-cat meowed.

"Well, maybe you could go take a nap now. There's not really much to do around camp." Blossomheart told her.

"No, no, I'll be okay." The she-cat assured her. The scent of ThunderClan suddenly touched their noses and they turned towards the entrance to see Squirrelflight enter SkyClan's camp.

"What's she doing here?" Rabbitleap wondered, he and Blossomheart watching as Lelouch and Makoto walked towards the she-cat. "I'm guessing they might have an idea."

"Squirrelflight, what are you doing here?" Leafstar wondered, Hawkwing next to her.

"I'm here to warn you about Bramblestar." She meowed.

"Warn us? You're his deputy, and his mate, are you not?" The SkyClan deputy said suspiciously.

"Yes, but…the cat leading ThunderClan isn't my mate." Leafstar and Hawkwing both looked at each other. "Makoto and Lelouch can explain." The two turned their attention to them.

"This will seem hard to believe, but I swear that it's the truth." Lelouch stated. "When Bramblestar lost a life in the clearing, it allowed for a cat to control his body. That cat is now leading ThunderClan, and we're sure that he's plotting to destroy the Clans."

"And hedgehogs will fly!" Leafstar scoffed.

"But we're not lying!" Makoto meowed. "My friends are proof that cats are able to be possessed."

"Friends?" Hawkwing tilted his head in confusion.

"Molewhisker and Swiftfrost are currently being controlled by Makoto's friends, Ren and Futaba. They were sent here in their bodies to be able to stay close to Bramblestar. He exiled every cat not from this world, after all." Squirrelflight explained.

"I know you've seen Makoto and I take special interest in Rootpaw, and that's because he showed us that he could see Bramblestar's ghost." Lelouch told them. "Makoto and I are able to see him as well. Right now, we're trying to get the support of as much Clan leaders as we can so we can stand up to Bramblestar."

"Hawkwing, wake Rootpaw up." The leader commanded, the deputy making his way over to the apprentice's den. In a few seconds, he came out, Rootpaw following behind him. "Tell me, can you really see Bramblestar's ghost?" The leader asked straightforwardly.

"Y-Yes. I've been trying to help him get back to his body. We still don't know who's controlling him, but I know what I've seen. The Bramblestar in ThunderClan isn't the one we've known."

"It sounds like they're telling the truth, Leafstar."

"Yes…but being possessed? I've never heard of such a predicament happening ever." Leafstar stated before turning her gaze towards Squirrelflight. "So, what can we do to help?"

"Don't listen to anything he says at all. We need to stay vigilant against him if we're to stop his reign."

"Very well. It's not exactly as if we haven't been doing that already, but I'll make sure to not let his dissuade us of that conviction."

"Thank you, Leafstar." Squirrelflight bowed her head in thanks.

"Are you heading back to ThunderClan?" Lelouch asked her.

"I've convinced Bramblestar to exile me. I'm going to speak with the other leaders and try to convince them as well. ShadowClan might be easy since Kirito, Asuna, and Suguha are there, so I'll go there next."

"Good luck." Makoto said with a smile before Squirrelflight left SkyClan's camp.

"So…you three never said anything until now. Why?" Hawkwing asked.

"Because we needed support first before we went into action." Lelouch replied. "We've learned that there are other cats in other Clans who are against what this fake Bramblestar has been preaching. That strength alone is enough to allow us to start our fight against him, but the support of Clan leaders is what we need to actually start doing something about him."

"Plus, you both didn't seem to believe us when we started explaining it. We just needed to wait for the right time to tell you the truth. We didn't hold this information back just for our sake." Makoto added.

"I apologize for not believing you at first. Even still, I find this all hard to believe, but having ThunderClan's own deputy come here to warn my Clan about Bramblestar must mean this has to be true." The SkyClan leader meowed. "But what about the talk of the codebreakers?"

"We think that the cat controlling Bramblestar may be a part of a bigger group and has been feeding these commands to Shadowsight." Lelouch said. "He's the most inexperienced medicine cat, so it would've been easy for them to manipulate him."

"So, the codebreakers are just a bridge for him to command the Clans? How fox-hearted." Hawkwing growled.

"Indeed. If this cat is going this far to destroy the Clans, we must stop them while we still can." The SkyClan leader looked over at Lelouch. "Do you have a plan for when you've gained the support you need?" The violet-eyed tom shook his head.

"This is a situation unlike any I've seen. All I know, is that we can't reveal to him that we know the truth. For now, we keep this information between the five of us, Tree, Frecklewish, and Blossomheart."

"The three of them know what's going on as well?" The deputy asked.

"We went to a meeting last night to talk with other cats concerned about Bramblestar." Makoto meowed.

"I see, Well, there's no harm done. If anything comes up, please keep me informed."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

A few days had passed ever since Squirrelflight went on her journey to warn the other Clans about the danger of Bramblestar. Now, she was finally back in camp. She was able to warn Leafstar, and when she went to ShadowClan, Tigerstar was already aware of the situation, thanks to Kirito, Asuna, Suguha, and Cloverfoot. Unfortunately, WindClan and RiverClan couldn't be persuaded. Foxstripe sat near the warriors' den with Futaba, the two sharing a mouse.

"I still can't believe mouse actually tastes this good!" Futaba meowed as she took a bite of the prey. "Oh, sorry Inari, I forgot we were sharing. Here you go!"

"Thanks." The tom took a bite of prey and placed in between them both. "Do I remind you of someone you know, Futaba? Is that why you call me Inari?"

"Oh! Ren, Makoto, and I have a friend back home whose code name is Fox. I called him Inari all the time. Since you're Foxstripe, I call you Inari!" She explained. "If it's gotten annoying, I can call you Foxstripe instead."

"No, I'm fine with it. I've just been a bit curious." He assured her.

"Well good, cause I wasn't gonna stop anyway." Foxstripe let out a small chuckle. Futaba really did remind him of Swiftfrost. She had always been the more playful one between them both. "How's all the responsibility Bramblestar's been giving you. I can imagine you don't like it." He nodded.

"I know it's all for the mission in the end, but I hate having to do everything while he just stays in his den. I'm getting sick of pretending to be on his side, too. I just want to save Bramblestar already." He told her. "Do you think we could use the MetaNav to at least just see what his dream world looks like?"

"I don't think so. Nightheart was able to recall her dream when we went. We'd need to be super careful to stay hidden if we wanted to invade Bramblestar's dreams." She told him. As they were eating, Berrynose approached the two.

"Did you send a hunting patrol out yet?" He asked Foxstripe.

"Yes. I also sent a border patrol out as well." The tom retorted.

"I see. Still, what does Bramblestar see in you, anyway? You've only been a warrior for about a moon or two." He scoffed. "It's a miracle that you've been this capable so far."

"Hey, just leave us alone. We're trying to have a meal here." Futaba told the tom.

"You better watch your mouth." Berrynose responded, unsheathing his claws. The she-cat began to shake.

"And _you_ better watch what you do next. I know you'd care if Bramblestar found out that you harmed a Clanmate, but I'd have no problem if he found out that I hurt you."

"Oh really? Then do it!" Foxstripe let out a small laugh.

"You're really picking on two young warriors right now? Just leave us alone."

"You better listen to him, Berrynose." The cream tom turned around and saw that it was Ivypool, the she-cat letting out a snarl. "Or else you'll join the other StarClan cats staying silent." Without another word, the tom left, Ivypool letting out a sigh. "Why are some cats being so mouse-brained?"

"Are you okay, Futaba?" Foxstripe asked the she-cat, placing his tail on her shoulder to comfort her.

"I'm fine. I thought I'd be a bit brave, but you're really the brave one, Foxstripe. "Oh, and mom's really scary!" The silver-and-white she-cat let out a small laugh as she sat next to Foxstripe.

"I'm only scary when someone tries to lay a paw on my kits, Clanmates or not." She meowed. "Someone here seems to have gotten the tongue of their father, though. Lucky for him, he got his mother's bravery, too." Ivypool gave Foxstripe a lick to the ear. "Just don't let the mixture of those two get you into trouble."

"Yes, mother…although, I think you just implied that father isn't brave."

"W-Well I just meant to say you got traits for both of us! There's no doubt some of your bravery came from him as well, and I was sort of a sassy she-cat myself." Foxstripe let out a smile. It had been a while ever since he even felt a moment of normalcy in ThunderClan. Spending time with his mother and sister, in a way, made him wish things would go back to normal. _All we need is father to come back home and our family will be together again._

"Liar!" The sudden peace was cut short when they heard Bramblestar yell from the leader's den. From the den, they watched as Bramblestar had grabbed Squirrelflight by her scruff and dragged her out, the she-cat breaking free and making her way down Highledge, the ThunderClan leader following behind her. "We have a codebreaker among us! My own deputy! My own mate!" Cats began to talk amongst each other at the sudden news. "Now, where did you go for your exile?"

"I told you, I went to the horseplace!" The she-cat retorted.

"You're still lying! And I know because I had a cat follow you!" Foxstripe's eyes widened in shock. Who could he have sent to spy on Squirrelflight? And how was he unaware about it? He followed the leader's gaze as it fell on Bumblestripe. The black-striped tom stepped forward.

"I saw where she went. She went to SkyClan."

"SkyClan? Why would she go there?" Thornclaw wondered.

"She went to SkyClan to persuade them to rise up against ThunderClan." The tom meowed, disdain and scorn in his voice as he looked at the deputy.

"Traitor!" Berrynose spat, some of his other Clanmates doing the same. Foxstripe looked around in horror. How could they not realize that what Squirrelflight did was for the best interest of the Clan? Were they really that daft? He wanted to do something to help her, but what? The ThunderClan deputy looked around at her Clanmates.

"I'll leave…but just know that this cat standing in front of you isn't my mate. He's not the Bramblestar that we've all known for so long. He's am impostor!" The she-cat's words seemed to fall on deaf ears, almost as if she was only saying these things due to Bramblestar's sudden treatment of her. _If Squirrelflight can't convince some of our Clanmates, what can any of us do?_

"Foxstripe!" The tom quickly got to his paws and walked over to the ThunderClan leader. "I want you, Lionblaze, and Twigbranch to escort this traitor off of our land. The three cats now trailed behind Squirrelflight as she left camp. "ThunderClan will need a new deputy now." The four of them heard Bramblestar speak as they crossed the thorn tunnel.

"This is all my fault. I should've realized I was being followed." The deputy apologized.

"This is horrible! How could a cat so evil have support from our Clanmates?" Twigbranch fretted.

"Because they're all scared of Bramblestar now." Lionblaze stated. "They just saw what he did to his own mate. Now, they'll be as subservient as ever. We need to plan something already!"

"I know…but we need to be careful now more than ever." Foxstripe responded. _What can we even do now? Bramblestar seems to have so much support in ThunderClan, and some cats in other Clans are in favor of him as well. How can we plan anything if we're possibly being spied on everywhere we go?_


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

_Suguha's ears twitched as _the sound of pawsteps could be heard coming from the camp entrance. The scent of ThunderClan also aided it as well. Curious, the she-cat turned her attention towards the entrance and saw that it was Squirrelflight, the ThunderClan deputy's fur matted and messy, almost as if she had just been in a fight.

"Squirrelflight!" The black she-cat got to her paws and she walked over to her. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"Bramblestar's exiled me from camp."

"That's terrible!"

"Can you take me to Tigerstar, please?"

"There's no need." The ShadowClan leader meowed. "What are you doing here?"

"She said that Bramblestar exiled her from ThunderClan." Suguha explained.

"What? The cat controlling him went that far? No cat opposed him?"

"It would've just gotten more cats exiled, or worse, killed." The she-cat explained. "The number of cats supporting him in ThunderClan outweigh the cats we have against him. I'm sure that most of them would do whatever he told them to at this point." Squirrelflight looked around the camp and saw all of their eyes on her. "I'm here to ask for a place to stay for the time being, at least until this is all over."

"You're more than welcome here, Squirrelflight." Tigerstar looked around camp. "Everyone, as of today, Squirrelflight will be staying with us. She has been exiled by Bramblestar and needs a place to stay."

"What?" Scorchfur looked at him in surprise. "If she's been exiled, she's a codebreaker! We can't keep her here." Murmurs of agreement were heard throughout the Clan.

"We have to let her stay." The ShadowClan leader let out a sigh. "There's something that you all don't understand. I've been keeping this a secret with a select few, but my Clanmates deserve to know before anything horrible happens." He looked over at Suguha. "Care to explain to everyone, Suguha? I think it might be a bit more believable coming from a non-Clan cat."

"M-Me?" Suguha looked around the ShadowClan camp and gulped. "I'll try, but Kazuto and Asuna would be way better at doing this."

"Please give Suguha your attention, everyone." Tigerstar meowed before stepping away from the she-cat.

"W-Well…the truth is that…the cat leading ThunderClan right now isn't Bramblestar." She began. "When he died in the clearing, another cat was able to take control of his body. Right now, that evil cat is leading ThunderClan and could put all the Clans in danger! Kazuto, Asuna, and I were exiled from ThunderClan by this cat, and now even Squirrelflight's here, too. I know it's hard to believe at first, but this is the threat that we're dealing with right now. We can't let him try to manipulate any more cats like he's done with ThunderClan."

"A cat getting possessed? Is that what you're telling us has happened?" Flowerstem asked.

"Yes. We know that it most likely happened when Bramblestar lost a life on the moor."

"Are you just trying to blame Shadowsight now?" Yarrowleaf wondered.

"No, she's not trying to blame me at all." Shadowsight stepped forward. "Suguha's right that this might've happened because Bramblestar died on the moor. Everything that's been going on is my fault, and I'm sorry for it all. The voice that's been talking to me wasn't StarClan. I thought it was…but I realized that I was wrong. Whoever has been talking to me wants the Clans destroyed, one way or another."

"But what about StarClan? Does this mean they're still silent?" Stonewing meowed, Shadowsight replying with a nod.

"But what about the codebreakers? Maybe fixing the issue with have with them will bring StarClan back." Sparrowtail suggested.

"You all don't get it." Kirito meowed, letting out a sigh. "There's never been any codebreakers at all. Whoever's been talking to Shadowsight told him there were codebreakers to stir up trouble. That was their first step in causing chaos, and they've obviously succeeded." The black tom stated. "Whoever's controlling Bramblestar wants these cats to suffer. That's all we know."

"So, our own medicine cat put the Clans in danger?" Scorchfur meowed. "How could you not tell the voice wasn't from StarClan?"

"There's no need to blame Shadowsight." Asuna meowed. "He knows that he made a mistake and he's ready to help amend it. We can't be fighting amongst each other or the cat possessing Bramblestar will get exactly what he wants."

"Can we all believe this is true?" Flowerstem asked. "You three were with ThunderClan, after all, and here's Squirrelflight now, too."

"If there was something going on, this one would've done something already." Suguha said, nudging her cousin.

"Plus, the fact that these three are here proves Bramblestar isn't himself. Would he ever exile cats from other worlds, especially these three and Lelouch, who have been with ThunderClan for moons?" He asked his Clanmates. "And Squirrelflight, his deputy and mate. Would he have been this aggressive on her just to exile her?" The ShadowClan cats began to talk with each other, but it still seemed like they weren't persuaded.

"We can prove it!" Kirito exclaimed. The cats stopped talking and looked at the tom.

"You can?" Tigerstar asked, looking at the tom in surprise.

"Can we?" Suguha said, worry in her meow.

"Yeah. Just let me make a call real quick." Kirito swiped a paw down to open his menu interface and swiped over to his video call screen. He tapped on Makoto's name and began to wait with the other cats in camp. "We might as well show everyone we can do this now, right?"

"What exactly is that?" Cinnamontail asked.

"It's a way we keep in contact with the others in ThunderClan and SkyClan." The tom explained. In a few seconds, the screen in front of his changed, everyone now seeing Makoto.

"Hey Kirito. What—." The she-cat could see behind the tom and saw other cats. "Are those all ShadowClan cats? And Squirrelflight, too?"

"This is…strange." Tigerstar meowed. "We're really talking to her as if she's here." Other cats who couldn't see what was going on pushed their way behind Kirito so that they could see the screen that was in front of the tom.

"I'm guessing you're fine with showing them this now?"

"We've told them the truth about everything." Asuna explained.

"Yeah, but some cats here still don't believe it. You think you could bring Rootpaw here to prove it?" The tom asked.

"I'll see what I can do."

"Great. Thanks, Makoto." The she-cat ended the call and the screen in front of the tom faded. Kirito looked around and saw that the cats all seemed to now be in shock about the ability he had to make video calls. "Uh…it's really nothing special, everyone."

"Well, to cats with no sort of technology it is." Suguha told her cousin.

"So, do you think bringing Rootpaw here can prove anything?" The ShadowClan leader asked.

"Yeah. We'll just do what we did to prove it was real to Squirrelflight." The tom assured him. "Bramblestar's her mate, so he's the only one who would know mostly anything about her. There's no way Rootpaw would know that much about Squirrelflight."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Makoto made her way back to SkyClan after finishing her unexpected call with Kirito. She was still surprised that the tom had let all of ShadowClan see him make the call. _Maybe it's safe now to do the same here. They all know the truth now to an extent._ She thought as she crossed through the entrance. The red-eyed she-cat made her way over to Leafstar, the SkyClan leader watching her Clan from outside of her den.

"Is everything alright Makoto?" The she-cat nodded.

"Everything's fine. I just have a request to make involving Rootpaw." The SkyClan leader tilted her head.

"Is it about Bramblestar's ghost?"

"Yes. The reason I went out of camp was because Kirito had called me. My friends and I, along with the others in ShadowClan, have the ability to communicate with each other." She swiped a paw down to show Leafstar the smartphone menu screen she was able to summon with a swipe of a paw. "I've been using this to keep in touch with them regarding Bramblestar. Right now, ShadowClan's warriors need proof of Bramblestar being possessed in order for Tigerstar to gain their trust. I'd just like permission to bring him over to ShadowClan."

"Very well."

"Really?" Leafstar let out a small laugh.

"You seem surprised by my answer. We need as many Clans to believe this Bramblestar leading ThunderClan is an imposter. The sooner we get rid of him, the sooner our lives will all return to normal." The SkyClan leader stated. "Take Tree with you. I'm sure he could help make things easier to understand."

"Yes, ma'am." The she-cat bowed her head in thanks before she walked over to the apprentice's den. She looked inside and saw Rootpaw resting in his nest. "Hi Rootpaw. I need you to come over to ShadowClan with me and your father."

"ShadowClan? Is something going on?"

"We need to prove that Bramblestar's ghost is real so that they'll believe that the one leading ThunderClan isn't the real Bramblestar. I'm guessing Tigerstar told the whole Clan about the situation."

"Okay. We should get going then." Rootpaw followed the she-cat out of the den before speaking with Tree and making their way over to ShadowClan.

"I'm not sure why Leafstar wants me coming along. Wouldn't Lelouch be a better fit?" Tree meowed as he led the two through the forest.

"Well, he can't speak to dead cats. You know what Rootpaw's going through more than any cat." Makoto replied. "It'd be easier to explain to everyone. Squirrelflight's over there, so we really need to just prove it the same exact way we proved it to her before."

"Yes, but that worked because it was only Squirrelflight." The yellow tom responded before he stopped walking. "Maybe…we need Rootpaw to actually summon Bramblestar."

"W-What? Can I do something like that?"

"Possibly. If you inherited this power from me, then it must work exactly the same way." His father replied. "I know it's going to be a lot for you to try this for the first time in such an important situation, but you have to, Rootpaw." The young apprentice seemed unsure about the idea. The task turned from being simple, to being something he didn't expect to even do at all. "You just need to close your eyes and concentrate. Imagine Bramblestar actually being there in front of you, as if you want everyone to see him. He's your ghost, and you're the only one who can guide him." Rootpaw gulped.

"I'll try my best."

"That's all I can ask from you." Tree gave his son a lick behind the ear.

When the trio arrived in ShadowClan, they saw that every cat in camp was still situated in the middle of the clearing, waiting for them to show up this entire time. Tigerstar walked over to the three and greeted them with a nod of his head.

"Give Leafstar my thanks when you return to camp." He meowed. "Kirito told us you might have a way to prove Bramblestar's spirit is lingering outside of his body. Is that true?"

"Y-Yes." Rootpaw meowed, the tom still anxious about summoning Bramblestar's spirit for the first time ever.

"Do you mind showing us?" The tom nodded. "Great." The Clan seemed to form a circle around them, Makoto taking a spot with them to watch.

"Where's Bramblestar?" Kirito wondered. "Usually we can see him."

"Are you saying that he isn't here right now?" Squirrelflight asked, worry in her meow.

"I'm sure he'll be here. We just need to be patient." Asuna assured her. The Clan now stood in silence as Tree and Rootpaw stood in the middle of the Clan. Tree whispered into Rootpaw's ear one last time before the apprentice closed his eyes. The tom's ears and tail began to twitch as he followed his father's advice. The cats watched in awe as a ghostly outline of a cat slowly began to form next to him, the details of the cat slowly coming to fruition to reveal that it was Bramblestar's ghost.

"I can't believe it…" Tigerstar stated in shock. "It really is Bramblestar."

"Yes, and you all must help me! Some cat has stolen my body and is now leading ThunderClan! Don't listen to him, he's an impostor!" His eyes looked over at Shadowsight. "Shadowsight's not to blame for any of this. He was tricked. Whoever is in control of my body wants to harm the Clans. You must all prevent that from happening!" The tom's spirit slowly began to fade from view, Rootpaw opening his eyes and catching his breath.

"We weren't the only ones able to see him that time!" Kirito exclaimed. "That was awesome, Rootpaw!"

"You did it, Rootpaw. I knew you were able to do it!" Tree cheered, the apprentice letting out a sigh of relief.

"Now, do you all believe me when I say that the cat leading ThunderClan is an impostor?" Tigerstar asked his Clanmates. They all unanimously nodded. "Excellent. Now, we need to think of a way to get rid of him."

"We can try to warn RiverClan and WindClan again." Asuna suggested. "Puddleshine, Shadowsight and I can talk with the medicine cats at the next half-moon meeting.

"That's a great idea. In the meantime, we still can't let Bramblestar know that we know the truth about him." Makoto added.

"Which means I should go back into exile." Dovewing stated.

"What? It's dangerous out there." The ShadowClan leader responded.

"I won't be far. This is for all the Clans. If Bramblestar finds one tiny thing that goes against him, we'll have RiverClan, ThunderClan, and WindClan to possibly deal with. A fight is the last thing any of us want." Although he was still reluctant, the leader agreed with his mate. "I promise that I'll be safe." Hope filled Makoto as there was now one Clan now fully against Bramblestar. _This is one of the biggest steps we've had in stopping Bramblestar. If the other Clans cooperate with us, this imposter will finally meet his downfall._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The half-moon shimmered in the sky above as Asuna, Puddleshine, and Shadowsight were ready to attend the medicine cat half-moon meeting. Tree and Rootpaw were waiting for them, the two tagging along to help convince the other medicine cats that the Bramblestar leading ThunderClan was an impostor.

"This is it. If we can get the other medicine cats to side with us, we'll be able to finally do something about Bramblestar." Asuna meowed.

"Right. I just hope it'll be enough." Shadowsight replied. The three joined up with Tree and Rootpaw at the camp entrance before leaving.

"Wait!" From the leader's den, Tigerstar ran out, Dovewing following behind him. "Shadowsight, you can't go. You have to stay here. Asuna and Puddleshine can tell the others."

"What?" Shadowsight looked at his father in shock. "I have to do this."

"You can't!" Tigerstar let out a sigh. "Remember when you went to the Moonpool and felt an ominous presence? What if that thing can hurt you?"

"Your father's right, Shadowsight. We're dealing with an enemy who can silence StarClan and also possess living cats." Dovewing added. "We just want you to be safe."

"But we need to bring Shadowsight. The other medicine cats might realize something that we've been missing from his experience." Puddleshine meowed.

"I know that you're both worried about me, but I need to do this. It's for the sake of all the Clans." Shadowsight told them.

"Don't worry. He won't be alone either. If any cat tries to harm him, I'll make sure they regret it." Asuna assured them, placing her tail on Shadowsight's shoulder.

"Just be careful out there, okay?" Tigerstar told him, his son replying with a simple nod. Dovewing pressed her muzzle to the tom's cheek.

"Be safe."

"I will." With that, the five cats left camp and made their way to the Moonpool, worry still filling Dovewing and Tigerstar's gaze as they watched them leave.

The forest seemed to get darker the closer the group got to the Moonpool. Eerie silence filled the air, the only time it was intercepted was from their paws crunching any fallen leaves on the forest floor. When they reached the ThunderClan border, they stopped.

"What's wrong?" Shadowsight asked.

"We should travel through the Greenleaf Twolegplace." Puddleshine suggested. "It'll take longer, but who knows what could happen if any of our scents are caught on ThunderClan territory. It's better if we're cautious."

"He's right, Shadowsight. We'll get there later, but we'll cause less potential trouble if we go this way." Asuna told him. The tom nodded and the group made their detour towards the Twolegplace. As they were walking, a sudden screech broke through the air, causing them all to jump.

"What was that?" Rootpaw asked, his voice shaky.

"I don't know." Asuna meowed, tasting the air again. "Mint? Here?"

"Right. Mint doesn't grow here at all." Puddleshine said.

"So…could a cat be in trouble?" Tree suggested. Again, the same pained yowl echoed through the forest.

"It has to be! We have to go help them!" Shadowsight meowed.

"It's this way!" Tree told them, breaking into a run, Rootpaw following close behind. Asuna quickly swiped her paw down to view her inventory.

"I'm out of cobwebs!" The she-cat fretted.

"You and Shadowsight go find some! I'll go see what I can do." Puddleshine told them, following the SkyClan cats.

"Asuna, I think there's some over here!" Shadowsight told the she-cat. The tom bundled them up and gave them to the she-cat, Asuna placing her paw over them. They disappeared as the she-cat stored them in her inventory.

"Puddleshine, we'll be right there!" Asuna called out, but there was no answer. "Come on, Shadowsight, let's go."

"Right!" As the duo ran through the forest, the shadows seemed to consume them. They couldn't cat the scent of any of the others. They had no idea if they were going in the right direction. Suddenly, paws slammed into Shadowsight, the sudden sound causing Asuna to turn around.

"Shadowsight!" Asuna watched as the tall, shadowy figure of a tom stood over Shadowsight. Quickly, the she-cat unsheathed her claws and leapt towards the tom's attacker. She brought him to the ground and had him pinned when suddenly, jaws bit into her scruff and pulled her off, tossing the she-cat to the ground. The cat had gotten to his paws and now pressed Shadowsight's body onto the forest floor. The tom watched as the other cat dug his claws into Asuna's throat, the she-cat letting out a cry of pain, blood now flowing from her wound. Shadowsight struggled to break free as the cat on him now lowered his claws towards his throat. Blood roared in the tom's ears as the claws slowly punctured into his flesh, the tom trying his best to still struggle, despite it being hopeless. His breaths became slow as pain took over. He took one last look at Asuna, the she-cat not moving at all. The fear of her death being on his paws was the last emotion the tom felt as his vison faded to black.

Foxstripe stood watch next to the thorn tunnel leading into ThunderClan. He had originally assigned Rosepetal to the assignment, but the she-cat was tired. He agreed to switch with her after a while, so now it was his turn to watch over the camp. _I know I'm sided with Bramblestar, but I at least want my Clanmates to still like me._ He thought. His nose twitched as the smell of catmint permeated through the air. He also heard pawsteps begin to come closer into camp. Foxstripe watched as Bramblestar and Berrynose walked through the thorn tunnel.

"Foxstripe! What are you doing here?" Bramblestar asked the tom.

"I'm on guard duty." He meowed. "There hasn't been any trouble tonight, luckily."

"That's good to hear." The ThunderClan leader meowed. "We'll be going to sleep now. Keep up the good work." Foxstripe dipped his head in thanks and watched as the two went to their respective dens. As he was talking to Bramblestar, he noticed blood on both his fur and Berrynose's. He did notice that Bramblestar seemed to have a scratch on his face, too. _Why were those two even out so late? I remember seeing them both sleeping, too. Could they have just went out to hunt? No, they didn't even bring back any prey. But maybe they just ate it while they were out? Bramblestar does make up rules out of thin air often._ Excuse after excuse filled Foxstripe's mind as he pondered about what the leader and deputy were doing. Foxstripe's thoughts then leaned towards the ThunderClan leader's wound. _But…the scratch on Bramblestar's face…that was definitely from a cat._

The next morning, Foxstripe shared a piece of fresh-kill with Ren. Over the night, he couldn't stop thinking about what he saw. He had to talk with the tom about it.

"Ren, can I talk to you about something?" He asked as the tom took a bite of the mouse.

"What's up?"

"It's about something I saw last night." He meowed. "While I was watching over camp, Bramblestar and Berrynose seemed to return from something. They smelled like catmint and their fur was covered in blood in some places. Bramblestar even came back with a wound that looks like it came from a cat."

"Really? Do you think those two were fighting some other cat?"

"What else could it be? There's no way they just went out to hunt."

"If only I knew they were going out. I could've followed behind them." Ren said. "I'll try to keep an eye on them at night from now on." From the leader's den, Bramblestar emerged, the ThunderClan leader looking down at his Clan.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting." Once cats were gathered, the leader began to speak. "Last night, Alderheart and Jayfeather returned from the medicine cat meeting at the Moonpool. Apparently, Shadowsight has gone missing, along with our dear friend, Asuna." Foxstripe's eyes widened in horror. _No…could Bramblestar and Berrynose have attacked Shadowsight and Asuna?_ The leader continued. "I believe Shadowsight fled the Clans, and Asuna helped him as well. He couldn't live with his mother being a codebreaker and that all other codebreakers should be punished. He was weak, and him fleeing shows it." _That has to be it. I know Shadowsight and Asuna well. They'd never leave the Clans when they knew they could help save them._ His paws began to shake as he looked at the ThunderClan leader and the wound on his face. _They both tried fighting back…but failed? Could they be…dead?_

"Foxstripe, do you think that…"

"Yes…" The tom's voice escaped his mouth softly.

"Jayfeather! Lionblaze! Twigbranch!" The leader called out. "We must set the ideal example for the Clans. As codebreakers, you three must atone!"

"What? We already took your ridiculous oath! What else do you want from us?" Jayfeather asked.

"You three must be exiled from ThunderClan!" The leader demanded.

"You can't do that! Jayfeather and I have never broken the warrior code at all!" Lionblaze retorted.

"Yes, but you're half-Clan, making you codebreakers! As for Twigbranch, I know I don't need to explain what you've done." The she-cat began to shake, avoiding the ThunderClan leader's gaze.

"P-Please, let me atone. I want to stay in ThunderClan. Please, I'll do anything!" The she-cat begged. The ThunderClan leader just looked down at Twigbranch, reveling in her fear, feasting off of it. He stayed silent for a few moments before he spoke.

"Very well. I want you to spend half a moon away from the Clans. In that time, you're to hunt for twenty pieces of prey and bring them back for your Clanmates."

"Twenty! B-But I'll be alone…"

"It's the only way. You want to stay in ThunderClan, don't you?" The she-cat nodded. "Then you'll obey my command."

"Y-Yes, Bramblestar."

"Wait." As Twigbranch turned around to leave, Bramblestar stopped her. "Come over here, Twigbranch." The she-cat reluctantly stepped towards the ThunderClan leader. "If _any of you_ decide to become codebreakers, there will be harsh repercussions from me. Twigbranch here will be our first example. Now, stand still." Foxstripe watched in horror as the ThunderClan leader unsheathed his claws. He was going to attack her. He looked around camp. No cat seemed to want to do anything about it. He noticed Ren unsheathe his claws. _We can't do anything yet. We can't let him know._ Time seemed to slow down as Foxstripe watched Bramblestar leap towards Twigbranch, the she-cat standing still. _Is this what this Clan has turned into? A Clan not caring that their leader is about to attack their own Clanmate?_ He thought. _I have to do something. I don't care if I'm exposed as being against this monster!_ As Foxstripe prepared to break through the crowd of cats, a transparent blue light appeared in front of Twigbranch right as Bramblestar's claws neared her muzzle. Right when they touched her, a burst of light appeared, knocking Bramblestar away from the she-cat. When the light faded, a black tom now stood in front of Twigbranch, his muzzle covered with a strange scarring when Bramblestar's claws would've hit.

"You okay, Twigbranch?" The tom asked her. The she-cat's green eyes began to glisten with tears when the tom's blue eyes looked back at her.

It was Noctis.


End file.
